


Neon Exodus Evangelion Part 1: The Return of Evangelion

by YaBoyGuzma3



Series: Neon Exodus Evangelion [1]
Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Action/Adventure, British Slang, F/M, Fluff and Angst, My First Work in This Fandom, Post-Canon, Post-The End of Evangelion, Science Fiction, TW: British People, TW: It's Evangelion, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:27:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 52,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27233491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YaBoyGuzma3/pseuds/YaBoyGuzma3
Summary: “Shinji Ikari has found his way back home. Back to a Tokyo-3 that wasn’t ravaged. Yet he has no memory of how. Clueless as to how he got back, he remains determined to change the future. However, his temporal antics have not gone unnoticed. The Good, Bad and Angelic are making alterations to their plans in desperate gambits to gain control. But now, Shinji might just be able to take them. After all, he’s not alone...Not anymore…”
Relationships: Akagi Ritsuko/Ibuki Maya, Ayanami Rei/Original Character(s), Horaki Hikari/Suzuhara Touji, Ikari Gendou/Ikari Yui, Ikari Shinji/Souryuu Asuka Langley, Kaji Ryouji/Katsuragi Misato
Series: Neon Exodus Evangelion [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1988335
Comments: 10
Kudos: 44





	1. Life From Sickness, Part 1

**_Neon Exodus Evangelion_ **

**Volume I: The Return of Evangelion**

Chapter 1: Life from Sickness, Part 1

_“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;_

_For he to-day that sheds his blood with me_

_Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,_

_This day shall gentle his condition:_

_And gentlemen in England now a-bed_

_Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,_

_And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks_

_That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.”_

- _Henry V, William Shakespeare._

Shinji Ikari woke up, and was horrified to find that the world hadn’t ended. He was within Unit-01 (which was impossible) being swallowed by a black shadow that he knew as Leliel (which, too, was impossible), with both Asuka and Misato calling out at him.This was the most impossible thing that was ongoing, since not only was Misato dead, but he was dead to Asuka. At least, that's how it seemed to him. Within seconds, he was covered in a zebra-striped sphere. Again. Shinji didn’t move. It wasn’t like he was going anywhere soon. He just stared at his warped reflection in the dummy plug. For a second, he wondered if he was having some kind of flashback. But nothing was happening. Not a tick, not a click, not a hint of anything. Flashbacks weren’t like that, he thought.

So what was this? He racked his brain for the last thing he could remember. Then he wished he hadn’t. The impact. The red sea. The beach. Asuka. Disgusting. His screams...silence, and then, he was here. He flicked every switch and tapped every screen. Nothing. Just like last time. He sat there for a few minutes, dumbfounded. In the time he was on the beach with Asuka, he found himself wishing he could turn back time and change things, yet he knew that was impossible. Unit-01, Lilith and Adam had left, and decided that leaving Shinji to deal with his mistakes was for the best.

Now, he was wondering if this was a good thing. What could he do against a global conspiracy? How could he save Asuka? He was no expert on Evangelions, sabotage of great powers, or even mental health! Then something hit him. He was in an Evangelion. HIs visions, whatever they were, had described the Evas as nearly godlike. And he was sitting in one. He breathed, slowly, as he felt...something...surround him. An AT-field? Whatever it was, Shinji was glad for its presence. It made him feel slightly better, considering he would have to face many of the worst angels once again.

Shinji’s mind was racing with possibilities. So many people would die soon...Misato, Kaji, Rei, Toji, everyone on earth...and Asuka. He wanted to save her more than anything. Her blue eyes, gazing at him in fear, was something he couldn’t go through again. He paused. All he’d done to her...guilt filled him like LCL. Suddenly, an insane resolve possessed him. He had changed. He wasn’t going to be that way to her ever again. But she didn’t know that. Without thinking of chances of success (a very rare thing to do for him) Shinji pushed off of his chair and yelled at the top of his lungs:

“ASUKA!!!”

A few miles below, beyond walls of metal and black-and-white shadow, past skyscrapers and rock and air sat Asuka Langley Soryu, as officials and scientists hurried to and fro. She had just yelled at Rei Ayanami, that wondergirl, that doll, for what felt like the hundredth time that day. It had been a very rough day. The thought of Shinji inside that great sphere resurfaced in her mind, which only annoyed her further. To be honest, she didn’t know why she thought of him so. He was weak, and always so quiet, as if silently judging. And when he did speak, all he did was apologise. Nope, she didn’t need him at all.

“ASUKA!” came a voice.  
“Shinji?!” she got up from her seat, looking around the metal corridor. “Is that you?!”   
“Asuka!” came the voice again. “Where are you?”   
“I’m right here!” she cried out loud. The voice was so loud, yet nobody seemed to be nearby.   
“Asuka, where...please…” Shinji’s voice started to sound desperate. “I can’t...I…”

Asuka felt like scratching the metal away to try and find him, before realising the voice seemed to be coming from her head. “Shinji! You have to hear me! I’m here!”  
“Asuka...dear God… I just...so much I…” But the voice was fading away fast. Soon, the corridor was silent again.   
“Shinji?” asked Asuka hopefully. “Shinji!” But no reply came. For a few seconds, the German just looked at the ceiling, panting. She had to find someone, someone who she trusted, someone in this city who she _liked,_ like, like-

“Why were you talking to the air?” Came a monotone voice. Asuka turned on the spot. A few feet away, also in her plug suit, just by the doorway, was Rei Ayanami.  
“I-Shut up, Wondergirl!”, Asuka retorted, storming off. Suddenly, she stopped. “Hah, y’know I thought a weirdo like you would have heard something like that.”   
Rei looked at her as she sped down the corridor. The bluenette was irritated. She _had_ heard Shinji, yet since it had little to do with the matter at hand, she had discarded that thought, like so many others over the past few months. Could it have been important after all? Asuka seemed to think so.

Come to think of it, a lot of discarded thoughts had ended up being returned to over the course of the war with the Angels. Asuka, meanwhile, seemed to pay attention and take offence to every single thing that came near her. _And Shinji remains content to stay near her..._ Unfortunately, this trail of thought was interrupted as two NERV members came rushing through.   
“...blimey...apologies, Pilot Ayanami.” one said as they moved past her. Something caught her attention there. Standing still, she began to think.   
_That man is a member of NERV._

_Therefore, he must be a trusted Japanese citizen._

_Counterpoint: The man used an English accent when registering surprise, implying that he was raised in England._

_Therefore, he cannot be a Japanese citizen._

_Therefore, he is of suspicion._

_Therefore, I ought to investigate._

Her logic checked and double-checked, she headed in the direction of the two NERV members. It was not hard to find them, their AT-fields, though tiny, were locatable. Interestingly, they seemed larger than average. She put her ear to the wall and began to listen.

“Calling W6N, this is agent 54. Calling W6N, this is agent 54.”  
 **“Agent 54, this is the Field Marshal. What’s happened?”**

“Sir, we have detected C-Particles.”  
 **“From the angel?”**

“From the pilot, Shinji Ikari.”

Rei’s eyes widened. **“Where were they detected?”**

“He tried sending a message to the Second Children. Unfortunately, they were unable to respond.”

Rei heard the Marshal chuckle. **“Let me guess, that message was chock-full of C-Particles?** ”

“Yes. It is possible that the event has been altered.”

**“Agent, it’s not just possible, it’s the only explanation. This is excellent news. It’s dreadfully dull here in Hong Kong-”** **  
**“Field Marshal…”  
 **“Yes, yes, don’t fret. I shall send my best agent.”**

From their AT-fields, Rei could see they were shocked. “Field Marshal, you don’t mean…”  
 **“I do. He is the only one who I trust to handle the situation.”** **  
**“But...he’s just a child.”

**“He’s older than most of those pilots. Now, he’ll be there soon, I’m letting him use the Concorde…”**

“Is that necessary, Field Marshal?”

**“Of course it is. If C-Particles are involved, it means the Angel’s strategy will become confrontational. Now, go! We have much to do! Get to the NERV airport now! Over and Out!”**

At once, Rei moved away from the door and down the corridor. They were British after all! Questions raced through her mind like never before. Why were the British interfering? What were C-Particles? Who was that Field Marshal? And who were they sending? A newfound determination to solve this grew inside her. Finding out who this “agent” was and why the British were so keen to influence Shinji were her top priority. At once, she headed out of NERV HQ. She wasn’t used to acting on impulse like this, and began to wonder what other things she had missed...


	2. Life From Sickness, Part 2

Chapter 2: Life from Sickness, part 2

It had been about an hour now. Shinji was frantically moving up and down the dummy plug, trying to get his heart pumping. He’d grown impatient of waiting for the vision to happen, and was now trying to speed up the process. To do this, he was trying to use up the 15 hours’ worth of oxygen still inside Unit-01. This way, he thought, he might be able to hurry through his imprisonment inside the dummy plug. But this tired him out rather quickly, and as he was still recovering from his experience near the _end_ of the year, he found himself unable to do this for long.

So back on his seat he sat. It was all rather off-putting, being back here. For one thing, he felt like he’d been ever-so-slightly shrunk. This made sense, he thought, as four months of growth had just been erased. That could be handled. However, there were a lot of things that were slightly harder to get a grip on. The kiss. If _only_ he’d been sent back nine days earlier. If he’d been there again, he could have maybe explained himself, or done _something_ different, anything at all. He did like Asuka, and of course he wanted to kiss her, but what had he done? Frozen on the spot. God, she must hate him. Maybe that had something to do with her sync rate falling, or-

_Oh shit,_ Shinji thought suddenly. It was his fault Asuka’s sync rate fell. His fault that she went through hell over the next few months. It was all his fault. Out of everything, he had to change this. The dummy plug was silent. Shinji looked at his hands. He’d apologise. No matter how much Asuka protested at his constant “sorry”-ing , he’d have to say it this time. Because things couldn’t go that way again. Shinji didn’t think he could cope.

Shinji felt like crying as a wave of memories rushed over him. Once he was out of here, he knew what was next. _Unit-03. His father’s control._ He sniffed. Blood. The LCL was getting cold. Shinji knew what that meant. It wouldn’t be long now. What could he say? How was he going to tell a cosmic horror to leave? It was, at the very least, a chance to speak his mind. Against whatever the Angels wanted. To try and piece this philosophical puzzle together. A rush of warmth flowed through him. Unit-01, perhaps? This warmth hadn’t happened last time. Did he really have that much more control over the EVA? Questions flowed in and out of Shinji’s mind for a while, and he struggled to find answers for any of them. He needed Asuka. She would have figured it out...

“Salvage the EVA with brute force?”

“As things stand, it’s the only viable option.”

Misato Katsuragi and Dr Ritsuko Akagi stood by a large satellite dish. It was picking up any signals it could from within the Angel, and had just been checked by two other operatives.

“We drop our remaining stock of 992 N2 mines on its core area,” said Akagi, staring at her clipboard. “Concurrently with this, our other two EVAS use their A.T. fields to disrupt the Angel’s imaginary numbers circuit for one millisecond. At that instant, we focus the explosive energy to destroy the Angel, along with the Dirac Sea that forms it.”

Misato did not hear much of this, to her it translated to “blow it up with Unit-01 still inside.”  
“But the EVA’s frame can’t take...” she began, the concern on her face growing, “What will happen to Shinji?! What kind of rescue op is this?!”

Ritsuko looked at her, not noticing Rei Ayanami passing by and heading towards the tunnel up to the runway. “The top priority of this operation is the recovery of Unit-01. Regardless of how badly damaged the body has become.”  
Rei paused for a moment. She had always hated Ritsuko, but this felt too cold, even by the blunette’s standards. However, she couldn’t let the two agents get away, nor could she draw attention to herself, so she continued upward.

“Now wait just a minute-!” cried Misato

“In these circumstances, the pilot is expendable.” Ristuko responded, before being slapped square on the cheek by Misato. 

Before anything else could happen, however, Maya Ibuki ran onto the balcony they were standing on.  
“D-Dr Agaki, ma’am, I...er...” she began, noticing Ritsuko’s glasses on the floor. “Oh! Here, let me just-” she bent down and picked them up, and, to Ritsuko’s bemusement, placed them back on her face. “Um...there’s a phone call...on the priority line...” she said, holding up a mobile phone.

“Oh...” said Ritsuko, quickly regaining her composure. “I shall take this. Major, Lieutenant, please wait outside.”

The two walked off, Misato glaring daggers at the blonde. “We will resume our conversation later.” snapped the doctor. She waited for the two to leave before answering the phone. If this was a priority line, it meant nobody else could listen.

So it was a shame that, a few miles above them and slightly to the west, a boy in a Concorde had headphones on, listening to the conversation unfold. As it ended, he took them off and pressed a button on the laptop in front of him. “Well...” he began, chuckling to himself, “she seemed grumpy.”  
 **“True, true. I’d be grumpy if someone decided to have their say on a crisis. But that’s none of your business, is it, Cadet?”**   
“No, no, no. So, I’m heading straight to the Angel?”   
**“Of course. From there, do just as we practised.”**

“Understood, Field Marshal. I can’t lie, I am excited for this. A real emergency! A real alteration!” the boy cried out to nobody, gazing out the window. He frowned, however, at the sight of his reflection in the mirror, his brown hair and eyes frowning back.  
 **“What’s wrong, Thomas?”** **  
**“Nothing. I’ll be fine. Thank you for choosing me, Field Marshal.”

**“Let’s be honest. There’s nobody else capable. Good luck.”**

Thomas giggled to himself. Leaning back, he breathed in suddenly.

“ _We were, stepping ou-out! Into the night, into the light!”_ he sang, a grin breaking across his face as the Concorde began its descent.

“I hate being stuck in the dark!” cried Kensuke Aida, as his camera gave nothing but the emergency broadcast. Nearby, Toji Suzuhara and Hikari Hokari sat, looking in opposite directions. “What’s happening out there?!”  
“I dunno, man,” grumbled Toji, “But we’ve been down here for hours now. It doesn’t seem good out there.”

“We need to have faith in the Pilots!” piped up Hikari, turning around suddenly. “You trust Shinji, don’t you? And Asuka? And Rei?”

“Yeah, I know, I know...” began Toji, looking around the bunker. He squinted. Something felt wrong, but he wasn’t sure what it was. There were some children moving around, staying close to their fathers, a few couples staying close to each other, some friend groups here and there, and then people sitting on their own. The people of Tokyo-3 were used to this by now, but this was one of the few times they’d been down here long enough to get meals out.

“It isn’t fair.” said Toji suddenly. “I wish there was something we could do to help them.”  
“We are helping,” retorted Hikari, “by staying out of the pilots’ way so they can focus.”

“Right...”

“ _TOJI!”_ came a voice from nowhere. It sounded like Shinji’s voice. The boy was hesitant to move. Everyone in the bunker would be weirded out if he tried calling out to the ceiling. So he tried the next best thing.   
“I, uh, gotta go toilet. Be right back!”

Before either Kensuke or Hikari could say anything, he was off. Now nobody was near him, he could focus.

“Toji...” the voice began once again. Still eager not to draw attention to himself, Toji looked around him and whispered, “...Shinji? Is- is that you?”  
“Toji...it’s all my fault...I should have done something...I let you...my father...”   
“What are you talkin’ about, Shinji?” he cried out, looking at the door behind him, “Where are you?”   
  


But the voice was gone. For a moment, Toji tried to call out again, but to no avail. Suddenly, he had made up his mind on what to do next. Storming out of the bathroom, he headed past his classmates and towards the door. Instinctively, Kensuke and Hikari got up and went after him.  
“Toji!” both whisper, causing the boy to turn. He frowned. “What?” he said, eyeing the NERV soldiers he had distracted with a burst pipe.   
“Toji, what on _earth_ are you doing?! You’ve got in trouble for this once, I remind you! Get back here now!” hissed Hikari.   
“This is different!” snarled Toji, getting the bunker’s door open, “I-I think Shinji’s in trouble...”   
“How on earth can you know that?!” asked Kensuke, nervously eyeing the soldiers, who were quickly fixing the pipe.   
“I...I heard him, just now, okay! Just let me do this!” And with that, Toji was off.   
“Stop!” Kensuke wailed, following after him, camera in hand.   
“GET BACK HERE!” yelled Hikari, racing after the two others, the bunker door closing behind her.

“Fuyutsuki, we have news.”

Kozo Fuyutsuki looked up at the dark pillars, each representing a member of SEELE. In the next room, he knew that the Commander of NERV, Gendo Ikari, was discussing something with the Instrumentality Committee.  
“Should I fetch-”   
“Oh, my no. He shall find out soon enough.” replied Lorenz Keel. Though he was only represented by a logo, Fuyutsuki knew he was smiling about something.   
“Then again...” said SEELE number 6, “I would love to see his reaction. I’m sure it would be priceless.”   
The others all chuckled in agreement. _What’s got SEELE so happy?_ Kozo thought to himself. “What is this news?”

Keel spoke again. “It appears the British wish to get involved in this Angel attack. And by ‘The British’ we **of course** mean...”

“Oh my.” uttered Fuyutsuki. No wonder they wanted to hide this from Ikari. If he knew that _he_ was involved, he might actually show emotion.

“He has sent a Concorde to land at Kansai.” said number 6.

“The Concorde? He really must want to intervene.” observed number 12.

“Do we have any idea who is on that plane?” asked number 9

“Nothing concrete, but we can guess his prize pupil is on board.” droned number 6.

“Now that _is_ interesting...” said Fuyutsuki. _What do they want? The Angel? Unit-01? Gendo’s son?_

“When will Ikari find out?” asked one of the Russian SEELE members.

“If his plan is a success, it shall be apparent to him.” replied Keel. “I am interested to see what his goals are...”

“And, of course, Ikari’s face when he sees him again.”

With that, many in the group chuckled. Kozo frowned. _That was never a good sign._

The LCL was getting murkier now. Shinji had stopped trying to fight it, realising if he extended his life support for too long, the N2 mines would drop. At least this time, he knew he would survive. The last time he was in here, he had no clue if he would get out alive. Come to think of it, he’d never need to worry about dying again. Shinji then decided that was not a good mindset to have. _Rei’s got that covered already,_ he thought to himself. He laughed at that. It was nice to have something to laugh about, even when alone. He ought to do it more.

_“What’s so funny, Shinji?”_

Shinji had closed his eyes. He couldn’t move. It was happening. “None of your business.”

_“Actually, I think it is my business.”_

“How do you figure that?”

_“My name is Shinji Ikari.”_

“No it’s not. I’m Shinji Ikari.”

_“I am the Shinji Ikari within y-”_ _  
_ “No.” In all his visions, he heard many things that he didn’t quite understand. About molehills, identities and instrumentalities. But he had picked up something. It was something Misato had said at some point: **Parts of our identity are scattered in other people. We’re all trying to find those parts.**

“You aren’t Shinji Ikari. You don’t exist within me. If you did, I’d be whole. I’d have Instrumentality.”

The horizontal line he saw, once straight, was now flickering and curving to and fro. _“J-Just who do you think...how...listen to me, Lillim-”_

“No. I am Shinji Ikari.”

“You will listen to me.”

Far away, back in the world of A.T. fields, a Concorde was landing at Kansai Airport. From a few feet away, just by the tunnel to the Geofront, Rei Ayanami crouched. As the plane’s door opened, a young boy, Rei’s age yet almost as tall as Gendo Ikari, ran down the steps. He had earphones on, and his attention was on Leliel, visible from the airport. The boy yelled instructions at the pilot over the hum of the engines, and then started sprinting towards the airport’s gates. None of this was what caught her attention. It was his A.T. field. It was _huge._ Invisible, yet it spread around him for at least twenty feet. As he rushed past, Rei felt her field cross with his. Immediately, he spun on the spot and saw her. Rei got up.

“Oh...it’s you...” the boy said, tensing up. “I mean- it’s nice to meet you, I’ve read your file, but...shouldn’t you be getting in your EVA?”

Rei didn’t know what to say. This was a first for her. She always had something to say, but faced with this stranger...

“I...think so... but...who are you?”

The boy smiled. “My name’s Thomas. Thomas Igor. I’m here to help, if that’s ok with you.”


	3. The Second Splitting, Part 1

Neon Exodus Evangelion

Volume 1: The Return of Evangelion

  
  
  


Chapter 3: The Second Splitting, Part 1

Rei was at a disadvantage. The strange boy, Thomas Igor, was running toward Leliel at incredible speed. Rei wasn’t exactly used to running, while her thin opponent seemed to have legs built for it. At this rate, she was never going to catch up to him. The bluenette looked around. Nobody else was around. There was only one way to catch up to him, but…

_Information: Commander Ikari has told me not to use my A.T. field. He said that nobody else had one._

_Observation: Thomas Igor appears to be able to use his A.T. field._

_Conclusion: Commander Ikari was...wrong?_

That was a thought for another time. Rei looked at Thomas. He was getting further and further away. Without spending any more time deliberating, Rei sped forward. It was a lot easier to run now, because she wasn’t technically using her legs. The brain was far more capable of producing results now, as her A.T. field pushed her forward faster and faster. Soon, she had passed Thomas. Looking at the confused boy, Rei allowed herself to smile, as she screeched to a halt. Thomas stopped as well, looking very confused.

“ _English english english english!”_ he blurted out. Rei smiled. Though she didn’t speak it, Rei knew he was bewildered. “Um... _english english…_ How did you do that?”

“The same way you did.” Rei replied. “Now, who are you?”  
“I..I told you,” he said, his smile returning, “My name is Thomas. Thomas Igor. I...I really need to get to that Angel, so…”

“Why?” Rei found herself irritated. She never had information restricted from her by Commander Ikari.

“I... _english_ … Pilot Ikari requires my assistance! I...I can’t delay! And...uh... _english_ Asuka _english_ Toji _english_...I have to go!”

Once again, he was off. Rei did not follow him this time. She didn’t feel like she would get much out of him. From his rambling, Rei picked up several names, one of those being…

“Get in my EVA? Aren’t we going to try and rescue that baka?!”

“That’s an order Pilot Soryu.” Ritsuko responded coldly. The faux blonde wasn’t ready to deal with another mutiny, so hid her clipboard from the German’s view, so she couldn’t see the N2 drop patterns. The girl pouted for a few seconds, before heading towards the cages.

Once again, she didn’t notice Rei pass by, which was a shame, since she was one of the few people who knew that if Rei was running, something was _very_ wrong. She was mainly preoccupied by her call from MI7, who claimed to be “watching from afar”. From what she knew of their Commander-in-chief, that translated to “were watching their people meddle”. One thing from that conversation was stuck in her head, however. The Field Marshal had called Gendo Ikari, her lover, the cold, ruthless Commander of NERV, his “old mate”. Ritsuko couldn’t quite imagine Gendo being “mates” with anyone, let alone someone like _him…_

“Pilot Soryu.” Rei called out from behind. The redhead turned around and scowled. “What do _you_ want, Wondergirl?”   
“I have discovered something that...might be of interest. Regarding...Pilot Ikari.”

Whatever Asuka was about to say next was discarded. “Oh yeah? Here to tell me I’m yelling at thin air again? What do you care?”

“No, I am not.” replied Rei flatly. She frowned. She did not have time for this. “It appears we are not the only ones who wish to see Shinji well.”

“And what does _that_ mean?”

“The British have sent a boy around our age. He is headed towards the Angel as we speak.”

Before Asuka could respond, however, the two were moved into their EVAs. As they ascended to the surface, Asuka turned on her intercom.

“Ayanami. When you say _The British,_ do you mean something else, or, y’know, the country?”   
“Actually, it is a collection of countries. But yes, I do.”

Rei saw Asuka scowl on the screen. “You mentioned a boy. Did you meet him?”

“Yes.”

“And? What’s he like?”

Rei paused for a minute. “Fast.” she said finally.

“I’m sorry, _wha-_ ”

Suddenly, Ritsuko cut in. “Alright pilots, listen. You will take positions opposite each other and activate your A.T. fields. This will deflect the N2 Blast.”

“What?!” Asuka screeched, “What about Shinji?!”

“Follow your orders, Pilot. Get in position.”

“What about the people in bunkers?!”

“Pilot Sory-”

“ _Look!_ ” cried Rei, pointing at the street.

***

The sky was a deep red as the train sped by what looked like Tokyo-3. _Last time, it was orange,_ Shinji thought to himself. Opposite him, a boy 11 years younger than him sat, with eyes that glued the teenager to his seat. At least this time, he wasn’t unprepared. He’d managed to catch Leliel, an Angel, off guard. Perhaps that was why the sky glowed crimson. The Angel looked at Shinji. Shinji glared back at it.

***

“Holy...What is it?” Asked Kensuke, holding his camera up at the zebra-striped sphere.

“Put that away!” yelled Hikari, pulling the two others in so the soldiers did not see them.

“What? When else am I gonna be able to record something like this?!”

“Would you two quit it!!”

Toji was staring at the sphere. It had been there for hours. In the mid-distance, he could make out Units 00 and 02. But-

“Hey...where’s Unit-01? Where’s Shinji?!”

Hikari looked around with Touji. “I...don’t see him…”

“Maybe he’s elsewhere…” began Kensuke, but was quieted by the soldiers moving to his left.

“Hey…” Touji pointed a finger at a tall figure which the soldiers were aiming at. “Who’s that?”

***

“ _No matter what you know about me, nothing about you has changed.”_

“I’m sorry?”

“ _I can see your mind. Can you really say you’ve changed because of what’s happened to you?”_

“Yes, I can! I know that this world cannot exist without A.T. fields, and-”

_“Does that actually mean anything?”_

“O-Of course it does! In order to be loved…”Shinji reflected.

‘ **Leave me alone!...Where’s your pride, Shinji?...** ’

“In order to be loved, one must be known. That’s the hard part.”

“ _Don’t distract me._ ” The younger face scowled. It reminded him of Asuka, desperately trying to up her sync rate. “ _You still feed off of the praise that happens to come your way._ ”

“What else am I supposed to do? Discard it?”

“ _You obsess over praise, but you also obsess over criticism._ ”

‘ **My sister got hurt...Insubordination...Don’t apologise so much!...Pathetic...Disgusting…”**

 **“** No...no…”

***

From her EVA, Rei could make out the brown hair of Thomas Igor racing past soldier after soldier. It was so strange, how he ran without any fear whatsoever…

“Woah!” said Asuka, interrupting Rei’s train of thought, “You were right! He _is_ fast.”

Rei slowly increased her A.T. field. She could make out what they were saying…

“Stop right there!” yelled one soldier.

“Stop or we shoot!” cried another.

But he didn’t stop. Not until he was past the barricade, which none of the soldiers wanted to go past, for obvious reasons. Thomas pulled something out of his trousers, pressed it, then returned the thing to its place. As he started running toward the sphere, music began to play. Even from Unit-00, Rei knew he had a huge grin on his face. She also knew that nobody in NERV knew this was coming.

“What’s he-” began Ritsuko, before-

“ _Now in the street there is violence!_ _  
_

_And there’s a lot of work to be done!_

_No place to hang out your washing!_

_And then I can’t blame it all on the Sun.”_

_“Oh no!”_

As he belted out the chorus, something very strange began to happen to the Angel. It’s stripes moved to and fro, and it began to move away from the ground. But, Impossibly, Thomas was faster, and grabbed it with his right hand.

_“We’re gonna rock down to-_

_Electric Avenue!_ _  
_

_And then we’ll take it higher!”_

He gave a wild laugh, before ripping his way into the Angel, a red liquid oozing out of the small hole. All of NERV could only watch as this madman began to crawl into the Angel.

“ _Hold on_ , Shinji!”

***

Shinji paused. The Angel was right. But…

“So what? It’s not even my fault! That damn Committee makes everyone think like that!”

“ _Does the Committee also make people unable to swim?_ ”

“I swam! I swam out of the sea of LCL!”

“ _From where I’m sitting, it looked like you floated upward.”_

“Shut up.”

“ _Why should I? You need to-_ ”

“No, really, shut up for a second!” Shinji could hear something. It was muffled slightly by the sound of the train, but Shinji could still make it out. It sounded like music. Was that there before? Leliel didn’t look happy. In fact, he was beginning to look very angry indeed.

“ _Who is to blame in what country?_

_Never can get to the one!_

_Dealing in mul-ti-pli-ca-tion_

_And they still can’t feed everyone!”_

The music was getting louder and louder, until the door to the next carriage burst open. Inside was a boy taller than Shinji, dripping with sweat. But what Shinji really noticed was his face. He had _green hair._ And _red eyes,_ just like Ayanami’s...

He looked at Shinji.

He looked at the other Shinji.

“ _Who are you?!”_ said Leliel, “ _What do you want?_ ”

“I…” said the boy, before pausing. “You speak English?”

“ _I speak to whom I feel I must speak to.”_

“I see. Well, hang on a minute. I’ll get to you.”

Shinji stared blankly for a moment. Leliel had stopped probing his memory. This had _definitely_ not happened last time. Had he somehow done something different? Did this person know what he’d been through? Was he...like Rei and Kaworu? 

“So...Shinji Ikari. It’s nice to meet you. I’ve, um, read your file.” the boy said, ignoring the cosmic horror to his left. “I’m Thomas Igor. I’m here to help you.”

“Help me?” Shinji asked. Did he need help? Last time he fought Leliel, he was able to destroy him completely. So why-

“ _I can still see your thoughts, Shinji.”_

The two humans in the carriage turned to face Leliel. He smiled at them. “ _You think that I’m going to let this slide so easily?”_ he said, gesturing to Igor.

“ _This won’t be as easy as you think!”_

Suddenly, the train buckled and tumbled, as a loud crash rang out. Shinji felt himself fall through the window of the train, and was soon on the ground, looking up at the crimson sky. In front of him, there was a great pile of iron and leather that was once a train carriage. Next to him, Thomas Igor was pulling himself up to his feet.  
“Come on, Shinji! I fear we need to get away, quickly!” he said, heading away from the wreckage. As if on cue, a rumble came from the crashed vehicle, as a great shadow appeared from the flames, with A great smooth head. It looked an awful lot like an EVA, although it had wings, and a great trident-thing in its right hand. Shinij’s eyes widened. It was one of the MPEs.

Flashes of what was to come pierced his head. The Mass Produced Evangelion, with their sinister grins and psychotic nature, which had picked apart Asuka and Unit-02. Which Shinji was too afraid to do anything about. Instinctively, Shinji backed away, as a great smile appeared on the shadowy thing’s face. Leliel had been looking through his thoughts. As the beast roared, Shinji finally got up and started running like never before. As he ran, he was surprised to see that he was in Tokyo-3. At least, it _looked_ like Tokyo-3. Every building was bleached white, and every skyscraper was covered with advertisements for something or other. All around him, people were moving, as if they hadn’t noticed the giant beast with wings. Feeling ignored, Shinji stopped a man in a suit.

“Look! Can’t you see that thing?!” he cried, pointing at the monster crawling through the alleyway.  
“Well, it’s none of my business, is it? I don’t want to get involved.”

And with that, he returned to his commute. This was _not_ Tokyo-3. Before he could ask anyone else, he was pulled into an alley, by an arm which belonged to Thomas Igor. Ducking behind a dumpster, Shinji saw the beast move past, heading towards the middle of the city.

“That was close. See why I had to show up?”

Shinji nodded. “I thought I had him…”

“ _I can’t lie, you almost did.”_

The two turned around. Leliel had found them.


	4. The Second Splitting, Part 2

Chapter 4: The Second Splitting, Part 2

It happened quietly. Too quietly. So silent neither Thomas or Shinji really saw it coming, despite the great hand reaching out towards them. It happened anyway. The monster’s wingbeat was the only noise as the beast flew high above the skyscrapers. Shinji struggled in the creature’s hand, while Thomas remained still.

“What do we do?!” cried Shinji, as they hung over the strange version of Tokyo-3 they had found themselves in.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan.” replied Thomas, who seemed to be trying to catch his breath. “Right, the Angel’s using your memories to make this...thing, right?”

Shinji nodded, and was surprised to find that one of his arms was free. He tried waving at the people for help, but their commutes seemed to be much more important to them. A few people stood on the spot and pointed, and Shinji was sure one of them was waving back. Leliel, meanwhile was searching for something, it seemed, as his leering grin moved to and fro overhead, scanning the many towers.

“What’s wrong with these people?” asked Shinji, banging his fist on Leliel’s giant finger in defeat.

“I’m not exactly sure they’re people, Shinji. But Leliel doesn’t seem to have made them. He’s got no control of them, after all, and-” the green-haired boy stopped himself. “Right. The plan.”

***

Asuka Langley Soryu never showed any fear. She had made a promise not to do so a long time ago. But what was in front of her was slightly...off-putting. It had been a few minutes since that boy entered the great sphere that Unit-01 was trapped in, and now it and the shadow underneath it had become greatly unstable. The stripes that covered it curved and wiggled, it spun one way or another, and its shadow bulged inwards and outwards. It looked like it had an itch, and was desperately trying to scratch itself in every place at once.

“Pilots, hold your positions.” said Misato over the intercom. She turned to the scientist on her left, scribbling on her clipboard. “Dr Akagi?”

Ritsuko glared at her. “Pilots, it appears that the Angel’s Dirac Sea is becoming dangerously unstable. It is increasing in magnitude and size, and, as a result, we must move to drop the N2 mines.

“What?!” yelled Asuka, “What about Shinji?! What if-” she paused.

“What if he’s trying to escape?”

“I’m sorry, Pilot Soryu, but the Angel cannot be allowed to increase its Dirac Sea. The consequences of that could be dire.” Ritsuko replied coldly over the intercom. “Pilot Ayanami, activate your A.T. field.”

Misato watched as the blue Evangelion got into position. She felt her cross hit the table she was leant over. She hadn’t really thought much of...that, but now, with Shinji on the line…

“A.T. field activated.” replied Ayanami. Asuka noticed something flicker over her face through the screen. Was that...anger? How bad was this that even _Ayanami_ knew this was a bad idea? _Of course,_ Asuka thought, _that boy. He’d told Shinji, told us, to “hold on…”_

“Pilot Soryu, acti-”

The faux blonde was suddenly interrupted by the sound of crashing metal. Unit-02 was rushing towards the sphere, a great battle axe in hand. Stopping just before the shadow, she pulled back the axe. Her breathing was heavier now, and she could hear Akagi in the intercom ordering her to retreat. She suddenly thought of the incident with Sandalphon in Mount Asama. What a day that was. She’d started the day convinced Shinji disliked her, but by the end of it, he had dived into a volcano to save her. For a while, she thought maybe, just maybe, he was alright. But then that kiss had happened, and he had just...stood there. She’d been wondering what she’d done wrong for the past few days, just like she’d done after the swimming pool. Could she have been wrong again?

“Pilot Soryu’s sync rate is higher than ever!” observed Lieutenant Ibuki. Ritsuko shot a look at her, and she turned back to her screen with an “Eep!” There was then a _crunch_ , as Asuka plunged her axe deep into the sphere.

***

Shinji found himself hesitantly looking up at Leliel for any sign of an attack, be it physical or verbal. Yet nothing came. He seemed to be distracted by something, his grin unmoving. What could have happened? Before he could dwell on that, Thomas bumped his shoulder. He seemed to have an idea as to how to escape.

“Now, Shinji, I need you to picture whatever memory Leliel saw to take this form, okay?”

The brown-haired boy shut his eyes and thought. He pictured the MPEs, rampaging towards the Geofront, great spears in their hands. Something else popped into his mind, however. Shinji found himself picturing Asuka. Alone. Terrified of these monsters. Shinji winced, but turned to Thomas.  
“Alright, I’ve got it.”

“Now, alter the memory so this thing is replaced by something.”

“Replaced with what?”

“Anything! Something harmless! And quick!” Thomas yelled, as Leliel began to descend into the city. He’d found whatever he was looking for.

_Harmless._ It had been a long time since he’d been able to describe anything like that. He thought of Misato’s apartment. Then he thought about Misato. _Then…_

Suddenly, Leliel’s grip began to loosen, as a great white shape appeared on the hand that held the two teenagers. As they tumbled down towards a rooftop, Shinji looked behind him, he saw the slim shape of the MPE become fatter and fatter, as a necklace appeared around its chubby throat. Its spear had vanished, its hands were flat like flippers, and its sinister grin had expanded into a beak. Shinji found himself smiling for the first time in a while as a fifty-foot Pen-Pen squawked with frustration. Shinji and Thomas landed on the roof of a large building as the now flightless thing collapsed on the ground.

“You did it! That was amazing, Shinji!” cried Thomas, as the two gazed at the giant penguin in disbelief. At this, Shinji discarded the image of a horde of Pen-Pens attacking Unit-02. Below them, the people of this strange city were rushing forward, pushing each other out of the way to get a closer look at the animal. Suddenly, a question formed in Shinji’s mind.

“How did you know to do that?” he asked, turning to his red-eyed ally.

“Oh, I had training from the very best.” Thomas responded, looking around the rooftop. “Do you know where we are? I’m, um, still new to this city.” he asked, turning around suddenly.

Shinji gazed at the streets below him. The crowd, growing restless, were now tackling the police trying to push them back. In all this chaos, Shinji could make out a street sign.

“We’re...we’re on top of the hospital, in the north-east of Tokyo-3. Look, you can just see the shopping centre” he pointed out. “But…”

“Yes?”

“We aren’t in Tokyo-3.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The people in my city are orderly, they follow orders and respect the police and army. This,” he said, gesturing to the riot, “is unheard of here.”  
“I see.”

Shinji looked at the green-haired boy. “Who are you? Really?”

Thomas glanced at the sky, now a truly deep crimson, then at Shinji. “I told you, I’m Thomas. Thomas Igor. I was sent here to help you.” 

“By who?”

Thomas smiled. “By Her Majesty’s Secret Service, of course.”

Shinji’s eyes widened. The British were most certainly _not_ involved last time. Why on earth had they come here now? None of it made any sense, but Shinji doubted he would get any answers from his ally.

“So...now what?”

“Now, we make our daring escape from this place, return to the Dirac Sea, and destroy Leliel once and for all!” Igor said with a flourish.

“ _Oh, do you now? All of you?_ ”

***

Asuka pulled at her battleaxe. It wouldn’t budge from the zebra-stripped mess she had created. She grabbed ahold of the thing with both hands, still trying to stay out of the shadow that had swallowed Shinji, and desperately tried to pluck it out.  
“Come - on - you - stupid - piece - of - _Müll…”_

Then, the sphere began to cover the axe, its black mass creeping up the axe’s handle and onto Unit-02’s hands.

“Asuka, get out of there, quick!” cried Misato, noticing Ristuko’s hand hovering over the button that would launch the N2 Mines.

The German let go of the axe, but now it was her hands that were stuck to the sphere. As she tried to pry them free, she failed to notice the shadow thrust forward below her legs.

“Pilot Soryu!” cried Rei, but it was too late.

“ _Ach, nein… Ach, nein...nein, nein, nein_!” Asuka screamed, as the darkness began to crawl up Unit-02’s feet.

“ _Shinji, help!”_  
  


***

Pen-Pen’s great mass disappeared into a cloud of black smoke, causing the crowd to panic and flee. The roof that Thomas and Shinji stood on broke through as the smoke dragged them into the hospital. Finding themselves in a corridor, they got to their feet. Thomas looked worried for the first time.

“This isn’t good...Shinji, you need to break out _now._ ”

“But...But I’m not…” 

“You’re still in the EVA, remember?” But before he could say anything else, a great hand burst through the wall and started pulling him away.

“Shinji!” he yelled, trying to escape the shadow’s grasp, “Leliel brought you here for a reason! He knows everything you’ve seen, so you need to use something that you haven’t seen! Please-”

But before he could say anything else, he was whisked away.

“ _I think having him around is cheating, don’t you?_ ”

Shinji winced. It was unsettling, hearing your own voice used against you. He was surprised his voice could even go that low. He looked around. The hospital...

“ _Yes, Shinji. This hospital._ ”

Shinji felt his stomach collapse in on itself. _This hospital_. Where he had seen Asuka comatose. Where he’d tried to wake her up. Where the covers slipped. Where-

“No...no no no no…”

“ _Come now, Shinji. You must have realised I would find my way here._ ”

In front of him, another Shinji Ikari appeared. This one was an exact copy of him. Shinji knew it was Leliel instantly. It smiled at him, clearly enjoying seeing him suffer, and then left towards a sign which said “ _Coma Ward_ ”.

“W-where are you going?”

The copy turned to him, and smiled.

“ _To repeat history._ ”

Shinji couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t even move. He watched as Leliel made his way towards Asuka’s room, and moved inside. He fell to the ground. Here he was, one again, letting Asuka suffer due to...what? His own cowardice? What could he do? His mind raced over all the things he had seen after the Third Impact: Tokyo-3, Adam and Lilith, The Sea of LCL; he’d seen all those things, how could he-

And then he remembered what Thomas had said. What hadn’t he seen? He hadn’t seen who orchestrated all of this, he hadn’t seen his father, friends or anyone else, and he had never seen-

“Shinji?”

All of a sudden everything seemed to stop. Shinji now wore a striped t-shirt and carried a bucket and spade in his hands. In front of him was a woman, her face partly covered by the sun. 

“Mother…”

Shinji paused. Had she...always been here? By now it had clicked that her “death” during the contact experiment wasn’t exactly legitimate, but… what did that mean?

_It means she’s still alive, somewhere...somehow…_

_Which means I can’t let her down._

“M-Mother…” began Shinji, squinting at the face in front of him, “I-I… I’m not going to run away anymore. And I’m not going to stay still either. I’m going to help those who need it...Just like you did.”

She looked at him. What was it that Shinji saw in her eye? Hope? Relief? After what seemed like an eternity, she finally said:

“Oh? I’m glad to hear it.”

Shinji frowned. That was-

“Did I say that last time?”

Shinji’s eyes widened at this, and nodded.

“I thought as much. It’s...nice to speak with you again, Shinji.”

There was a flash, and Shinji was back in the hospital. The pain in his stomach was gone, his head was clear, and Leliel was only just entering the hospital door. Immediately, Shinji ran after him, allowing a smile to form on his face.

***

Rei Ayanami watched as the Dirac Sea moved further and further up Unit-02. Through the intercom, she could hear the NERV officials starting to panic. She tuned them out, however; she somehow knew they would only say things she knew. She didn’t tune out Asuka’s screams, however; not only would that prove The Second Child right in her being a doll, but it seemed to be motivating her to find a solution. And yet, all she could ever do was obey. It was the first thing she had promised Commander Ikari, at the moment of her awakening. If only there was some way that-

_Rei, Rei! Are you there?_

It was Thomas.

“Thomas, Is Shinji alright?”

_He’ll be fine. If all’s gone to plan, he’s finishing off the angel now. But-_

“What?”

_I’m stuck. I’m still in the sphere, and-_

“You need me to save you?”

_I- Yes. I do._

“Do not worry. I know what I am doing.”

Rei had no clue what she was doing. As she charged forward, she instinctively extended her own personal A.T. field. There was a very good reason for doing this, as while Unit-00’s A.T. field was monitored and restricted, her own field wasn’t.

“Rei, what are you-” Ristuko began, but was cut off by Misato.

“Ayanami, listen to me! You must assist Asuka, do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.” she said, increasing her speed.

If she wasn’t being watched, Rei would have smiled. Assisting Asuka would provide the perfect cover to recover Igor’s body.

_Huh. Everything’s worked out nicely after all, hmm?_

As Rei approached the now bulging sphere, she pulled out her Progressive Knife. This would take very specific timing. As Rei began to cut Asuka free, she located the hole which Thomas had made with his hands. _How strong was his A.T. field?_ Rei asked herself as she slowly moved her hand towards the entrance.

_Alright, hang on…_

***

As Shinji came up to the doorframe, he saw Leliel standing over Asuka. He felt himself fill with rage, as Leliel leered over the redhead. In the corner of his eye, Shinji saw Thomas.

“You’ve got this, Ikari. See you on the other side.”

With a wave, he was gone. 

Shinji entered Asuka’s room.

He walked up to Leliel.

***

Rei felt something fall into Unit-00’s hand. The voice in her head had gone, and a quick glance confirmed that a body was now on the metal hand, covered in a red liquid. Suddenly, Rei remembered that Asuka was in danger.

“AAAAAAAAAAAGH! HELP! IT’S NOT COMING OFF! HELP!”

Rei was doing her best with the Progressive Knife, but whatever this angel was made of stuck to Asuka like glue. If Rei wasn’t careful, she would have fallen into the Dirac too. It also didn’t help that she had Thomas in her left hand. So she struggled, and waited.

Asuka was in hell. It felt like the LCL around her was going murky, and she could smell blood. She felt her eyes slowly close as her vision moved from silver to orange, from orange to red, from red to purple.

Purple?

_Shinji grabbed Leliel’s shoulder, and pulled him away from Asuka. He brought it up to face him, and said:_

_“LEAVE HER ALONE.”_

_After that, he promptly punched him in the face. It was an odd sensation, punching himself in the face, but Shinji enjoyed it nonetheless. He had made his choice. He was going to help people. Starting with her._

The great fist of Unit-01 burst through the sphere, spraying a red liquid over the skyscrapers that surrounded the EVAs. The darkness that lingered on Unit-02 quickly receded, yet Asuka’s vision still flickered.

_From the bed, Asuka could see Shinji. He had taken a few hits, but was beating his opponent into submission. He was yelling too, but it took awhile for her to realise exactly what. When she did, her eyes widened. She’d got it wrong again._

“LEAVE HER ALONE!”

“LEAVE HER ALONE!

“ **LEAVE HER ALONE!** ”

Rei moved back from the sphere, keeping Thomas’ body from falling off, as the face of Unit-01 appeared from within the shape. As it broke out of the sphere, spilling what looked like blood everywhere, it raised itself to full height and roared.

A few feet down below, Toji, Hikari and Kensuke backed into an alley, as the blood began to spill onto city streets. It came up to their ankles. Hikari screamed. Kensuke nearly dropped his camera. Toji just stared. At the planes which quickly moved away, at the blood flowing down the alleyways and dripping down the walls, at Unit-01, howling at the air.

From NERV HQ, the officials simply sat and stared. Maya Ibuki felt like vomiting. Ritsuko found herself muttering, “What kind of monster did we replicate?” Misato overheard this, but mainly focused on Unit-01.

Asuka, consciousness fully regained, watched as Unit-01 lurched closer and closer to her. She felt a temptation to fight back, but instead simply said…

“Shinji?”

At this, the EVA stopped moving. It stood up straight, gazing at Asuka, before falling to its knees. Instinctively, Asuka made Unit-02 do the same. If anyone asked her, she would probably put it down to their sync training. Asuka sighed, as she felt the EVA being moved back towards the EVA lifts. 

When she finally got out of her EVA, she began to move towards Unit-01, but seeing Misato do the same made her slow down for some reason. To both women’s surprise, Shinji crawled out of Unit-01 on his own, which made them both stop in their tracks. Asuka watched as the Third Child, still breathing heavily, moved towards them. Asuka slowly stepped forward. No matter how much of an idiot she thought he was, she couldn’t bear to see him like this. She held out her hand, and was surprised when he pulled her inwards, resting his arms on her back.

“Um...Shinji…?” began Asuka, before noticing that he was crying.

“Asuka...I’m sorry…”

She shook her head. “Oh, come on Shinji, what have you done wrong?”

“I… I fucked everything up, I ruined it all…”

“What are you talking about?” she asked, surprised at Shinji’s choice of words, “The angel’s defeated, you did it!”

Shinji looked at her, and was desperately trying not to fall onto her chest (which was very difficult to do seeing as they were both covered in LCL). She didn’t know what he was talking about. Of course he didn’t, he thought, she hadn’t been there.

“Yeah..I did do it, didn’t I?”

“Mmhm. So what do you have to be sorry for?”

“L-Last week…” he whispered, seeing Misato moving towards them.

“Oh.” Asuka blushed. She might have said something, but was interrupted by Misato joining in their hug.

“Oh, Shinji, you’re alright!” the older woman wailed.

“I...I just wanted to...see you again.” he said, collapsing afterward. Asuka felt him buckle and grabbed ahold of him.

Shinji was about to be hoisted onto a stretcher when a scream rang out from the cages. Misato and Asuka both ran towards it, but it was Asuka who got there first. Maya was the one who had screamed, and was pointing at the open hand of Unit-00. If Rei hadn’t have been up there already, Asuka would have probably screamed too.

“ _Heilige Fischpaste! Es ist ein Typ!”_

She ran up to see Rei Ayanami on Unit-00, moving the boy out of the blood. He was tall, and had a white shirt soaked in red, and black denim jeans. But what stood out was-

“His hair!” Rei pointed out. It was green. It was when she said this that Thomas Igor finally woke up.

“Oh, Rei...I…” he blushed suddenly, realising he was being held by her, and moved out of her arms. “Um...thanks for saving me back there, I…”

“Your hair. It is green. And your eyes are...” said Rei, who had hoped that would come out flatly. It didn’t.

“Oh...yeah...that...I thought I was the only one.” he said, sighing. “I thought it was best to dye it and wear contacts, but...I guess they came out in the wash?”

Rei smiled. “Do not worry. You are not the only one, Thomas. It is...pleasant… to meet someone else… like me.” Internally, Rei was very confused. He was no Angel, and yet he seemed to have Nephile traits that she couldn’t shake. _This must be why his A.T. field was so big._

“Either way...your way of entering the Angel was...interesting…”

“Oh, that? What can I say, I like to perform, plus it helps me focus.” he said, gesturing to a blood-soaked speaker. “Did you like it?”

“It was...not unpleasant.” Rei said with a smile, ignoring the NERV officials around them who all had their mouths open. It was nice, therefore, that Thomas was doing the same.

Asuka had been watching from a way away, and on any other day would have immediately welcomed the tall stranger. But looking back at Shinji, who seemed to have been through something awful, she realised she couldn’t leave him.

“Wondergirl!” she called out, causing both red-eyed teenagers to glance over, “Shinji’s over here, if you’re done conversing with the Green Giant!”

“ _English english english…”_ mumbled Thomas. “Right, we ought to go see him, I think.”

Rei nodded, and moved back over to the platform towards Shinji. Thomas, however, was stopped by two members of Section 2, Gendo Ikari’s security force.

“Are you Thomas Igor?” one of them asked.

“Yeah. Where’s Will Smith?” he asked, gazing at their black suits and sunglasses.

“You are under arrest for trespassing and interference in government operations. You will come with us.”

“Hold on!” Igor said suddenly, causing the NERV agents to turn around. “Um… hang on…” the boy fished through his pockets, pulling out his wallet, and from there pulling out a card with a small dot of blood on it. “There. Dip-lo-ma-tic immunity.” he said, smiling at the two agents.

They looked at each other. They looked at Major Katsuragi. “Ma’am, you’re the highest ranked officer, what should we do?”

Misato found herself staring at Rei. She never paid much attention to her, which was bad, she admitted, but Rei never seemed to want attention from anyone except the commander. But now, she seemed worried. Nervous.

“He’ll come with me. Up to the bridge. Asuka, I need you to go with Shinji to the hospital, ok? You need a check too. After that, I’ll send...Mr Igor along with you.”

And so, Asuka departed with Shinji. As the door closed with a clank, Misato gestured to the two remaining children. They followed her into the bridge, followed by Maya Ibuki and the Section 2 agents. Inside, they found Gendo Ikari and Kozo Fuyutsuki waiting. Rei felt her heart skip a beat.

“We’ve just arrived.” said the Vice Commander, pointing to his suitcase, “and we’ve seen the footage.” Thomas eyed the two men. To Rei’s surprise, he didn’t look nervous at all. In fact, he looked fascinated.

“So, then, Thomas Igor.” said the Commander, “Why exactly were you ordered here to ‘aid’ our operation?”

As if on cue, the phone in the bridge rang. Fuyutsuki pressed the speakerphone option, and a voice boomed out.

“ **Ah, hello NERV! I noticed you handled your little Angel problem. Most likely thanks to my cadet there. Do you have him there?** ”

“I’m here, sir!” Thomas chirped, a smile on his face.  
“ **Good, Good.** ”

Misato’s eyes widened. She knew the Commander quite well: she knew he was quiet, that Shinji didn’t get on with him and that he rarely showed emotion. But now, he seemed...what was it? Fear? Irritation? Anger?

“ **But, there’s one person I’m very keen to talk to. Are you there Gendo, old friend?** ”

Everyone in the room except for Thomas and Ikari was now deadly silent. Thomas was trying to stop himself from laughing. Misato couldn’t quite comprehend this. Nobody, _nobody,_ referred to Ikari by his first name. Not even Fuyutsuki.

“Yes, I am here. So it was you who sent Thomas. I should have known, Kanta.”

Maya gasped. Ritsuko looked shocked. Rei looked at the adults. She was severely out of the loop.

Misato only stared at the phone. It couldn’t be, could it? Kanta? _The_ Kanta? It was Maya who finally said what they were all thinking.

_“King Kanta Hadleigh?”_

“ **That’s what I’m known as. I see my reputation precedes me. Quite literally, in fact, as I am on my way to your quaint little city as we speak!** ”

“You’re-” began Gendo, but he was soon interrupted.

“ **We’ll have plenty of time to catch up when I’m over there. See you soon!** ”

There was a click, then silence.

***

Shinji slowly opened his eyes. He was back in the hospital. At least this time it was a real one. He turned to his right, and, as expected, was Rei Ayanami.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” he said. “In fact, I’m better than ever.”

“Oh? I’m glad to hear it.”  
She got up to leave, but stopped. “Did Thomas...did he help you, Thomas Igor?”

“Well, yeah...without him I would have died, I think.”

Rei nodded, and left, seemingly in deep thought.

Shinji expected to see Asuka hiding in the doorway, but nobody seemed to be there. Had he scared her off when he talked to her? Suddenly he heard a quiet mumble. To his left, on the other side of the room on a chair, was Asuka Langley Soryu, sound asleep. Shinji was so amazed by this sight that he forgot to wipe the blood from his nose. He didn’t really care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, this was a long'un. But worth it, I hope! Now things can get really interesting!  
> Also I hope you enjoyed the fluff I had this time; I think we've had enough angst for a while.


	5. Better Late Than Never, Part 1

Neon Exodus Evangelion

Volume 1: The Return of Evangelion

Chapter 5: Better Late Than Never, Part 1

  
  


Jets of streaming water cascaded on the purple casing of Unit-01, washing off any remaining blood still there from its battle with Leliel. On an observation deck, Misato Katsuragi and Ritsuko Akagi watched the water fall off the Evangelion and collect near its feet, ready to be filtered and used elsewhere in the Geofront.

“It’s funny...I don’t think I’ve ever had so many questions running through my head.” sighed the purple haired Major.   
“For once, I’m with you.” replied Akagi, “We still have no idea what happened within Leliel.”

“Or why this Hadleigh guy felt the need to intervene.”

“Misato, Field Marshal Hadleigh is not to be taken lightly, from what I’ve heard.”

“You’re probably right,” said Misato, gazing at the great purple beast in front of them. “Anything that can worry the Commander should worry us.” she mumbled.

“That reminds me, three kids were found outside the shelter, two of which you seem to know very well.” said Ritsuko.

“What?!”

Misato snatched the waterproofed clipboard from the scientist and gazed at it for a few seconds. “Oh, you gotta be  _ kidding me… _ ” This was the worst. Couldn’t one thing go right for her?

_ “Eeeek!” _

The two women turned around to see Maya Ibuki hastily pulling a jacket down and wearing it as the water spat at her. Misato had to cover her mouth as she came over, looking at the overflow like it was a cornered badger.

“Um...I have your briefs-uh-briefings, ma’am...s…” she stammered, handing over a file to each of them. “Oh, and Major! Word from the hospital! Shinji’s woken up!”

“Really?!”

“Yeah!...Oh, and one more thing!” she said, looking at her slightly soaked clipboard. “According to the Instrumentality Committee, we all need to be down at the Port at 20:00, when Field Marshal Hadleigh will arrive.”

“He’s still coming?!” asked Ritsuko suddenly.

“Well...yeah...he said he would on that phone call…”

“It’s just… I never thought he’d get past Ikari.”

“Why?” piped up Misato, “Have they got a history?”

“You could say that.” she replied, turning to leave.

“Um, do you need anything else?!” cried Maya, a little too loudly.

“N-no, Lieutenant. I’m just fine. Thank you.” And with that, she left.

Misato noticed a shade of pink cross the brunette’s face.  _ Another question to add to the pile… _

***

Asuka Langley Soryu slowly faded back into consciousness. She appeared to be somewhere very bright, and it looked like morning. Her memories of the day before slowly returned.  _ That strange, strange day… _ The British had a secret agent, who Rei seemed to have befriended, and-

“Asuka?”

Her eyes shot open as her body moved into an upright position. In front of her, in the hospital bed, was Shinji Ikari. But, something was wrong…

“Shinji...what’s that red stuff?”

“Huh?...Oh!” Asuka saw him grab a tissue and wipe what she could now see was blood from his nose. “Sorry, I didn’t realise.”

“Quit apologisin’,” Asuka mumbled, wiping her eyes. Looking down, she noticed that she was still in her plugsuit. Looking around, it was now clear she was in a hospital. In her head, a flash of the battle played over and over. While in Unit-02, when that shadow thing attacked her, she felt herself losing consciousness. Then, she was in a bed like Shinji’s, but he was in the room too…

“Shinji...when I was in the EVA… I saw… Were you fighting someone?”

Shinji’s eyes widened. “Well...when I was… in there, I thought… how did you know?”

“I...got caught in that shadow thing...But it didn’t get me!” she added, seeing the alarmed look on his face. “Anyway, I sort of saw you fighting...someone, I don’t know who-”

“It was Leliel.” Shinji was moving out of his bed now, or at least trying to. “It...it was bizarre, Asuka...Leliel was there, he tried to kill me and Thomas…”

“Thomas? The British kid?”

“Y-Yeah. You know him?” he asked.

“Kinda...he charged into that sphere without a second thought...and then came out onto Unit-00.”

“Oh…”

“Shinji.” Asuka finally got off her seat and moved towards him. Instinctively, Shinji stepped back, but only by one step. “Shinji, what happened?”

***

All was silent as Rei Ayanami stepped outside the hospital. She wondered to herself if leaving Asuka in there with Shinji was a good idea. She knew too well how they could argue. Hopefully, however, they would move past that for once in their “friendship”. Rei certainly hoped they would. The information that swirled in her head was desperately trying to organise itself. She now knew that the British were aware of the Evangelion, and that they had agents who could use their A.T. fields.  _ They even have a Nephile _ ....For a while, Rei stood there, but soon found herself gazing at a head of green hair moving towards her. It was Thomas.

“Oh! Hello, Pilot Ayanami!” he said cheerfully, “what are you doing here?”

“I was visiting Shinji.” she replied. Yet again, she had no clue what to say. “Thomas, I feel I need to thank you for what happened yesterday.”

“Oh, um, it’s no problem, really.” he mumbled, brushing a hand through his hair, “Shinji did most of the work. I just sort of...gave him a push in the right direction, that’s all.”

“No, it’s not just that.” maintained Rei, stepping forward. “If you hadn’t told us to hold on and not drop the N2 mines, an awful lot of Tokyo-3 would have been destroyed.”

“Oh, that?” he asked, bemused. “That was part of the song, really, I didn’t-” he stopped himself. “Um...it’s nice of you to say that though.”

Rei felt herself smile. But something was plaguing her. He was a Nephile, but he didn’t look like he knew it. Even now, he was looking around nervously, as if ashamed of his vibrant face.

“Thomas, may I ask you something?”

“O-Of course. What is it?”

Rei paused, choosing her words carefully. “Do you know...what a Nephile is?”

“Um...no. Should I?”

For the first time, Thomas looked concerned. It was then that Rei knew. Yes, he was like her. But he hadn’t been told that. He had no idea what he was. They were the same, yet completely different.

“Don’t worry about it, Thomas. It’s nothing.”

Slowly, Thomas’ smile returned to him.

“Ooh! Rei! That reminds me!”

“Yes?”

“We’re all meant to go to the docks at eight tonight. The Field Marshal and my fellow cadets are coming!”

“Is that right? Commander Ikari did not seem to want them here.”

“The Committee allowed it. We were in Hong Kong when Leliel showed up, so it’s not too much of a drain on resources.”

“I see.” Something else crossed Rei’s mind. “Thomas, you arrived here in a Concorde, did you not?”

“Yes, that’s right. The only one fast enough.”

“I thought that the Concordes were decommissioned.”

“Ah, all but a few. We were allowed them back after some more safety tests.”

“That explains how you arrived in Tokyo so quickly.” Rei said to herself.

“Yeah, it’s a great feat of engineering, if I’m honest.” Thomas said,gazing up at the clear sky.

“I am sure that it is.”

They stared in silence for a moment. “So, is Shinji in there? I need to have a word with him.”

“Yes, he is awake as well. I have just seen him.”   
“Great! I’ll go and have a chat with him.” he announced, walking towards the entrance. “You’re welcome to join me.”

He went through the door. After a few seconds, Rei found herself following him.

***

As Shinji told his story, he made sure not to mention anything… that was to happen. He told her about Leliel, how he rebuked it, how it became enraged, how Thomas appeared and how the train crashed. Asuka seemed awfully interested in the strange version of Tokyo-3, and even gave a giggle when Shinji mentioned turning Leliel into Pen-Pen. For the most part, she did not interrupt him, at least not until he mentioned that he punched out Leliel.

“Shinji...When I was in Unit-02, I saw you punching someone… in a hospital…”

Shinji’s eyes widened. “Really?! Did you see-”

“No, nothing else…” she said, surprised at Shinji’s concern.

“Oh...ok…”

Asuka sat in silence for a moment. “So that’s what happened...that’s certainly one hell of a story. But...you’re telling the truth, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am!” cried Shinji.

“Ok...ok…” Asuka gazed at the floor. “No wonder you came out of your EVA apologising… that Angel must’ve knocked up your self-esteem, huh?”

“I suppose so…”

“And your mother?” she mumbled.

“Y-Yeah…” Shinji smiled. “That was one of the few parts I enjoyed. I heard her voice again. I even saw a bit of her face.”

There was something that crossed Asuka’s mind. “Shinji...I know this is gonna sound stupid, but while you were trapped in Leliel, I… heard you. In...in my head.”

Shinji’s eyes widened. “You did?”  _ Was my A.T. field that strong? _ Shinji thought, as Asuka waited for an answer. “I...I did call out...I guess I got claustrophobic, but…”   
“No big deal for the great Shinji Ikari, huh?”

Shinji wondered what she meant for a moment. Then he remembered.  _ The sync test. How could she even look at me?  _ Shinji shook his head, as he struggled to think of something to say.

“Asuka…what are you talking about? I haven’t improved, I think I went down as well.”

“Yes, but I went down  _ more. _ ”

“Doesn’t change the fact that you’re the more experienced overall.” Shinji said. “I mean, you’ve had years to train. Besides, you actually like piloting the EVA.”

“You don’t?” Asuka seemed genuinely surprised by this. Shinji had to constantly remind himself not to mention anything that was going to happen. He was desperate to tell her what happened, but how on earth could she ever accept him after that? No, best to keep that to himself.

“Not really… I mean, maybe a few times it was alright. Like fighting Israfel. The second time I mean.”

“Obviously, idiot.” said Asuka with a smile.

They were skating around a certain topic. Shinji knew it. Asuka knew it. But Shinji knew if he didn’t tell her now, he wouldn’t get the chance.

“Asuka...about...last week…”

Asuka kept her eyes glued downward. She had a feeling this was coming.  _ This has really changed him, I can feel it, _ she thought to herself. “W-what are y-”

“Asuka, it’s all my fault!” Shinji yelled suddenly, making the redhead jump. “I know you hate me saying it, but it’s true!”

“Shinji…”

“I...I froze up. Because I had no idea what to do. I’d had nothing like that, nothing for  _ eleven _ years and the one time I finally manage it I fuck it up…”

“Shinji…”

“And then you ran off and I stood there. What the hell’s wrong with me?! I’d upset you and cause I’m such a  _ coward  _ I didn’t say anything. It’s no wonder you hate m-”   
  


“ _ Shinji! _ ”

The boy stopped ranting for a second, and looked at the girl next to her. They both stared at each other for a few seconds, as Asuka’s bright blue eyes tried to pierce Shinji’s darker grey-blue shade.

“Shinji...I don’t hate you!” she cried, standing up. “Listen, sure, you’re nervous nearly half the time, and you’re an idiot for the other half, but I don’t hate you for it!”

Shinji looked genuinely surprised by this. “You...you mean that?”

“Of course! I like you Shinji!” she blurted out, before quickly adding, “I mean, I like you a lot more than most people I know! You’re less of a jerk than Toji, less of a nerd than Kensuke, less of a bore than Ayanami...if anything, you should hate me!”

“What?! No!” Shinji said, standing up as well. “Asuka, I don’t hate you! Sure, sometimes it’s difficult to know if you’re being straight with me or not, like with that kiss, and you do tend to argue with people an awful lot… but that’s what makes you  _ you! _ You’re the most alive person in this city! You’re the only person who seems to look on the bright side of things in all of NERV! It’s...why I....”

“What?”

Shinji breathed in. This was it. “Asuka, when you asked me if-”

They were then interrupted by a knock on the door. “Hello? Shinji?”

“Y-yeah?”

The door opened, and in came Thomas Igor, followed by Rei Ayanami. Shinji was taken aback slightly. For a moment, Shinji was wondering if what he saw within Leliel was real, or just a hallucination. But what Asuka said about seeing Shinji fight, and now Thomas himself standing here, it proved beyond a doubt that what happened, happened.

“Thomas?” Shinji said finally. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I’m meant to get checked by the doctors. But I needed to have a chat with you before doing that.” he turned, as if suddenly noticing Asuka. “Oh. Hello. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Thomas. Thomas Igor.”

Asuka raised an eyebrow. “So you’re the one who swooped in yesterday, huh?”

“Well, I suppose I am, yeah.” Thomas looked from Asuka to Rei, who hadn’t fully come into the room yet. He then moved his gaze towards Shinji, still in a hospital gown.

“Ah, hello again, Shinji.”

“Thomas…I... I need to thank you.” Shinji said finally, “I wouldn’t have been able to stop Leliel without you.”

“Now, don’t sell yourself short. You did an awful lot of stopping yourself.” Thomas replied, smiling. Suddenly, a doctor appeared at the door. “Mr Igor?” the old man mumbled.

“Ah, that’d be me. Listen, Shinji, I need to have a word with you later.” Shinji’s ears perked up at this. “I shouldn’t be too long. I’ll come and find you, don’t worry.” And with that, he left with the doctor, smiling at Rei as he walked past her into the corridor . The three children gazed at him as he left.

“There’s something about him..” Asuka began, but couldn’t find anything else to say.

“You’re right.” Shinji said, before turning his attention to the bluenette in the doorframe.

“Ayanami, why don’t you come in?”

Slowly, Rei moved into the room, avoiding Asuka’s gaze as she did so, returning to the seat she was in earlier.

“Does anyone else feel like they’re missing something?” Shinji said suddenly, causing the two girls to look at him.

“Sorta.” Asuka sat back down on the bed. “I feel like I need, like, a day or two to comprehend all this.”   
“You’re right,” sighed Shinji. “What I need now is to relax.”

“ _ You’re unbelievable!!!” _

All three pilots got up on their feet as the cries of Misato Katsuragi filled the hospital halls.

“What was that?!” asked Shinji, clutching his chest.

“I believe it was Major Katsuragi.” said Rei. Anticipating a “Captain Obvious” comment from Asuka, she continued, “I was told that our classmates, Suzuhara, Aida, and Horaki, were found outside of their shelter.

Shinji remembered how he had tried to call out to Toji while trapped within Leliel. Could they have gone out because of that? Asuka heard it, but....

“Oh, this might be my fault.” Shinji blurted out, grabbing his clothes and leaving the room.

“Hey! Where are you going?!” Asuka yelled, as Rei gazed out at the corridor, which Shinji was running down at quite a speed.

“To stop Misato from eating those three alive!”

As Shinji raced towards Misato’s screeching, he allowed himself to think. He wasn’t just racing towards his guardian, but his friends. Specifically, Toji.  _ The fourth child. How on earth can I hide this from him? How on earth can I save him from Bardiel? From my father?  _ For now though, he was saving his friend from Misato’s wrath. As he bounded through the hospital, he passed Thomas Igor, who waved at him while a doctor readied a needle.  _ What have I done differently to attract the British? Do they...know about me? What I’ve seen?  _ That was another point that needed addressing.  _ I still don’t know how I got back here. I still don’t know why.  _ A horrible thought struck him:  _ Was Asuka still in the future?! Asuka, broken, alone, stranded. I’m not there for her. Again.  _ Shinji dismissed this. If things changed here, she would never end up at that beach in the first place. The seas wouldn’t turn red with the remnants of humanity. Kaworu might still be alive. Rei might survive Armisael. Asuka could be spared from Arael. He could escape from Zeruel without entering Unit-01.  _ And I could save Toji from Bardiel.  _ How hard could all that be? Only, he’d have to do it alone.  _ Nobody can know what I did. _

***

“I simply  _ cannot  _ believe you would go out  _ again! _ And you, Class Representative, let them!”

Kensuke Aida and Hikari Horaki had their heads hung in shame. Hikari, especially, looked on the verge of tears. She might have said some sort of apology, but was quickly interrupted by Toji, who, unlike the other two, looked angry.

“Hey, hang on!” Misato moved her attention from the brunette and focused on Suzuhara. “She only came out because of me! Lay off of her!”

“Toji, she’s right, I should have-”

“No, Hikari!” cried Toji, now angrier than ever. “This was my fault! And it also  _ wasn’t  _ my fault, because I had a good reason to go out there!

“Oh? And what was that?” the Major asked expectantly...

“I…” It looked like Toji had only just realised how stupid his story sounded out loud. “I just did!”

“That’s right, he did!”

The four turned around. In the doorway, with a white shirt and blue trousers, and a hospital gown in his hand, was Shinji Ikari.

“ _ Shinji! _ ” Misato seemed to forget the other three children existed as she ran towards the surprised boy, grabbing him into a hug. “Oh, thank God, you’re okay!”

“Misato...listen...please…” whispered Shinji, as the air was crushed from his lungs. Catching his breath as Misato let him go, the other three children moved towards him.

“Misato...I...when I was in Leliel, I...panicked.” he said bluntly. “And I called for help.”

“Hey yeah!” piped up Toji. “I heard Shinji here callin’, and I came out to see what was happenin’!”

“You could have told us!” cried Hikari, glaring daggers at Toji. “My best pair of shoes were  _ ruined  _ by all that blood!”

“Well, it was Shinji who got all the blood everywhere, and-”

“All right, All right!” Misato said finally. “Now, Shinji. The Human Instrumentality Committee wants to speak with you regarding what happened. Now, you’ve just got out of hospital, so-”

“I’ll do it.” Shinji sighed. Last time, Misato had to cover for him. Not this time.

“Are you sure? You know, I can just-”

“No. You’ve got stuff to do, I imagine.”

“Umm...yeah...cleanup…” Misato mumbled. Shinji had to resist smiling. He could see her imagining the logistics of wiping off the blood that caked Tokyo-3’s skyline.

“Well...okay, if you’re sure.” she said finally, moving towards the hospital door. “I’ll be outside.”

As she turned to leave, Toji moved towards Shinji. “So, uh...about what you said…”   
“I..I just panicked, that’s all. You’ve been in an EVA plug. You know how claustrophobic it can get.” Shinji pointed out. Mentally, he breathed a sigh of relief. He had to be better this time. He knew it.

“Right, yeah.” Toji looked at the door, which Kensuke and Hiraki were now waiting by. “Man, those EVAs sure are powerful, huh?”

Shinji nodded, as Toji left the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Thomas Igor walking in.

“I, um, finished my checkup. Why on earth were you running so fast?”

“It’s...not important.” Shinji turned to him. “You wanted to talk to me?”

Thomas’ smile slowly faded, as they moved to the side of the room. Shinji knew the green-haired boy was hiding things from him, but trusted him nonetheless. He had saved him from Leliel, after all.

“Now, listen.” Thomas said finally. “You’re going to see the Human Instrumentality Committee, right?”

“Y-yeah, that’s-”

“Shinji.” Thomas looked at the boy in the eye. He was at least five inches taller than Shinji, and it slightly reminded him of his father. “When you go to the Committee, there’s one detail you must omit.”   
  


Shinji’s eyes widened at this news. The committee were the ones responsible for both the Second and Third impact. This was partly why he had wanted to talk to them, to see what he was up against. But now, he realised what telling them about Leliel could have meant. Thomas may have just saved him yet again.

“Alright. What can’t I tell them.”

“You must not mention the city. You must not mention the people in the city. Just say he moved you to the hospital.”

“Why not?” Shinji asked.

Thomas looked like he was weighing up telling him. “Look, whatever that city we travelled to was, it wasn’t controlled by Leliel. It was something else entirely. If they knew we were there…”

Shinji nodded. He understood. The committee knew almost everything there was to know about the Evangelions and Angels. He, Thomas, and by extension, the British, could not allow them to gain any more information.

“Okay. He moved us to the hospital.” Suddenly, something hit him. “Wait! I told Asuka about the city!”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Thomas said, his smile returning. “I’ll let her know to keep it a secret.”

“Thanks.”

Shinji opened the hospital doors. He was overjoyed to see Tokyo-3 in its original state, to see the blue sky again, to see trees with green leaves, to hear cicadas chirping. He never thought he’d be glad to hear that. The world hadn’t ended.  _ Yet,  _ said a voice in his head. Along the sides of the road, blood was rushing towards the drains. He saw Misato sitting in a car which appeared to have a snow plow attached to it. Bemused, Shinji got in the altered vehicle. He could guess what the attachment’s use was. Misato sat next to him.

“Shinji, I won’t lie, it’s good to have you back.”

Shinji smiled. “It’s good to be back, Misato.”

He meant that wholeheartedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry this one took a bit, hope you enjoyed it!


	6. Better Late Than Never, Part 2

Chapter 6: Better Late Than Never, Part 2

_ Shinji grabbed Leliel’s shoulder, and pulled him away from Asuka. He brought it up to face him, and said: _

_ “LEAVE HER ALONE.” _

_ After that, he promptly punched him in the face. It was an odd sensation, punching himself in the face, but Shinji enjoyed it nonetheless. He had made his choice. He was going to help people. Starting with her. _

“You mentioned a struggle between yourself and the Angel. Could you elaborate on that, Pilot Ikari?”

_ The Angel was sent crashing to the ground, dark blood pouring from its nose. It glared daggers at Shinji, and tried to pull itself back up. _

_ “H-Hypocrite…” it stammered. “You did it to her, why can’t I? I think I have every right to-” _ _   
_ _ Shinji punched him again before he could finish that sentence. Then he punched it again. And again. And again. At some point, Leliel tried to say something again, but Shinji was having none of it. _

“This correlates with the breakout of Unit-01.”

“How did this vision end?”

_ Shinji was screaming now, screaming at this monster to leave Asuka alone, to just leave her alone. The Angel suddenly grabbed his hands, and gave one last menacing grin. _

_ “Face it. You’ll end up doing what you did last time. You’re both pathetic.” _

_ That was it. Shinji didn’t have much control over what happened next. He pushed Leliel down to the ground, and grabbed his duplicate’s neck. The Angel’s image began to flicker, as the more broken and bloodied Shinji Ikari was reduced to an orange mush. Shinji felt his grip loosen as the neck joined the mass of fluids. It was then that he returned to reality. Not just to the entry plug of Unit-01, but also to his senses. He found himself staring at his hands. _

“Oh, God.”

“And so you returned.”

Shinji gazed around the room. It was dimly lit, except for neon squares which illuminated the faces of the Human Instrumentality Committee. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting when he decided to face the people trying to end the world, but one thing was for sure. He hadn’t expected them to be so  _ old _ . A few faces stood out. A tiny, thin wisp of a man, a bulky man with his fist on the table, and the very old man with some sort of futuristic visor over his eyes. Shinji berated himself for thinking it, but there wasn’t one who wasn’t covered head to toe in wrinkles.

“It is clear from your testimony that the Angel was attempting communication with you. Yet you shut this path down instantly. Why was this?” asked a man illuminated by yellow with an French accent. This was the thin wisp.

“He...It...insulted me. It pretended to be my own subconscious, and attacked everything I do and the way I do it. I had already told it to stop before…”

“Before Thomas Igor showed up.” interrupted the Green American, with an impressive moustache. He looked like he was going to ask something, but he himself was then interrupted.

“I remind the Committee,” said a British man in Red, who seemed to be the youngest (yet was still rather old), “that NERV accepted the help of MI7 in the battle against Leliel.”

“Yes, but you didn’t exactly tell us what this help  _ was, _ did you?” growled the American.

“Did you want this city to be obliterated by N2 mines?”

“ _ English English English!”  _ roared the American.

“ _ English English!”  _ the Brit barked back.

“This meeting,” boomed Chairman Keel, the only one other than Shinji illuminated by white. “Is to discuss Pilot Ikari’s experience within the Twelfth Angel.” At this, both men reclined backwards. “Now,” the Chairman continued. “Pilot Ikari, upon Thomas’ arrival, the angel…’shifted’ the surrounding area to a hospital corridor, yes?”

“That’s correct.” Shinji mentally cursed.  _ Of course they’d ask about that. _

“You mentioned it was here you asked Thomas what he was doing. What did he say to you?”

“He said that he was here to help me...on behalf of…Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”

All eyes turned towards the man in red, who raised his hands in defence.

“Gentlemen, you are, of course, aware that Great Britain has its own organisation to aid in the study and, yes, even the combat of Angels, that being MI7.”

He turned to Shinji. The boy tried to get a quick look at the other members. Keel merely sat in anticipation. The Green man looked on the verge of yelling. The yellow wisp had a small smirk on his face. The blue man with the long nose furiously scribbled notes. From where he was standing, Shinji could see he was writing in Russian.

“Pilot Ikari, did he mention anything else? Anyone else?”

Shinji thought for a moment. The Committee was an all powerful force. They would find out something like “Who else knows about the Angels?” relatively quickly. It was better for it to come from him than anywhere else.

“Well...Igor mentioned that he...learned his methods from the best that there was.”

The Russian stopped writing. Keel leaned forward. The British man’s smile grew.

“Well, gentlemen, there we have it. Not only do we have his phone calls, but evidence from his best cadet. The Field Marshal was behind this.”

“Who?” blurted out Shinji, causing the old men to look at him. Shinji took a deep breath.  _ It even smells like a retirement home in here, _ he thought.

“Your father never mentioned him?” said the Brit.

“Come off it,” responded the Frenchman, “They haven’t been near each other in years. He’s a weakness to Gendo.”   
“Which is why we allowed him to arrive here.” said Keel. He looked at Shinji (as much as one can with a visor on). “Pilot, a long time ago, your father...did not get on well with his parents. As such, they sent him to a prestigious boarding school in England. It was there he met the current leader of MI7, and Field Marshal of the British Army.  **Kanta Boondock Hadleigh** .”

Shinji ran the name through his head.  _ Kanta Hadleigh... _ so he was the one who had identified him. Was it possible he knew what Shinji had been through? How on earth could he?

“They became good friends, but, as I’m sure you’re aware…” the Russian said, finally speaking up, “Once Dr Ikari passed away, Commander Ikari became more reclusive, including towards Mr Hadleigh…”

Shinji felt a pang in his stomach. So, not only had his father turned Rei into an unfeeling machine, and was co-conspirator in a plot to end the word, and refused to let him save his friends, but cut off what was probably his only friend. He found himself wondering… What could his mother have meant to his father to cause all of this?”

“Well, I think we have ascertained the information we wanted. Thank you, Pilot Ikari. Your father is waiting outside. He would like to speak with you.”

Shinji turned to leave. But, before he did, he turned back to them. “Thank you.” he said, before leaving into the darkness.

Keel looked around the table. It was the Russian who finally spoke. “Well? You may continue your argument now.”

“What a polite young chap,” said the Brit. “He’ll be clay in Kanta’s hands.”

“Good.” said the Frenchman. “I sense his little journey within Leliel has strengthened his resolve somewhat. We can’t have that.”

“This is irrelevant!” said the American through his teeth. “We must focus on what is to come. Units 03 and 04 have finished construction. They are ready.”

“Good.” said Keel. “We shall use Unit-04 for the S2 test when it is ready.”

“That’s if we get there.” mumbled the American. “If Kanta has something up his sleeve.”

“Come now. He’s not that foolhardy.”

“Are you sure of that?”

As Shinji stepped out of the meeting room, he immediately saw his father waiting to the side. Shinji glanced at the chair to his right, untouched.

“This way.” Commander Ikari said, moving down the hallway. Shinji followed, a few paces back. He saw cameras in every corner. Did he dare to speak? Eventually, they came to a lift. It was one of the slow ones too. They both got in, Gendo on the left, Shinji to his right. The iron doors closed, the lift shook, and the timer started ticking. Shinji looked around. No cameras.

“Father,” said Shinji, looking up. No reaction. “Why does Kanta Hadleigh want to come to Tokyo-3?”

That got his attention. Gendo Ikari slightly tilted his head towards his son, as if feigning eye contact. “He believes that he has information and equipment that will allow us to battle future angels.”

Shinji thought about this. He knew very little about Great Britain, only that it was one of the “miracle” countries, which actually improved after the Second Impact. If they had known so much about the Angels, why hadn’t they shown up last time.

“What is he like, the Field Marshal?” Shinji breathed in and out. “I know you two were friends.”

Shinji saw Gendo’s grip on his suitcase tighten.“The Field Marshal is… very level headed. He is a competent leader, and is known for bringing out the best in his agents.”

The boy felt an overwhelming urge to comment on Gendo’s need for something like that, but thought better of it. “So, why didn’t you want him coming here?”

Finally, Gendo made eye contact with Shinji. “I assume the Committee told you this, yes?” Shinji nodded. For the first time, Shinji thought he saw his father conflicted. “Shinji. What happened eleven years ago...was not the reason I cut ties with Kanta.”

Shinji’s eyes widened at this. His father hadn’t been entirely honest with the Committee either, which was an interesting thought.

“Then…” Shinji glanced at the timer. Gendo gazed at it too. 2 minutes, 14 seconds. “Then why did you..?”

“Shinji.” Gendo interrupted. This was the most humanity Shinji had ever seen in him. “Did the Committee ever mention Kanta’s…nickname?” he said, as if it was a struggle to say that last word.

“No…”   
“I said that he brings out the best in his agents. While true, this is done by his personality. He is extremely charismatic, and gets obedience out of people single handedly. He has...a certain power over people. Those under his command treat him with undying loyalty, as if he were...their King. Hence the nickname…” Gendo let out an audible sigh. “Hence his nickname, ‘King Kanta.’”

Shinji stared blankly for a moment. His father, the stoic to end all stoics, had just ranted about not just anyone, but a high ranking officer in the UN. It was obvious that he did not like this ‘King Kanta’.

“I...I see…”

They both returned to silence. Shinji tried to mentally conjure an image of this enigmatic leader which his father described. He pictured Commander Ikari, happy, charismatic, with NERV pledging their lives to defend him. Yet the words Gendo used made it sound so...sinister. A thought crossed Shinji’s mind. Whoever this Kanta was, he sounded like  _ just _ what the Committee needed to maintain control and prevent ‘insubordination’.

“Shinji.” said Gendo suddenly, causing Shinji to jump. The lift was slowing down.

“Y-Yes, father?”

“To resist the mental powers of an Angel, it must have taken a great amount of resilience and bravery.”

“Oh...thank you…”

Before his father could say anything else, the lift doors opened into NERV’s busy center.

“Go,” said Gendo, “and be at the harbour by 20:00.”

Shinji nodded, and set off towards the Geofront exit.

***

On the very easternmost side of Tokyo-3, there was a great river that went out to the sea. It wasn’t there fifteen years ago. From the side of the street, Rei Ayanami could see numerous skyscrapers and telephone poles poking out of the water, covered in foliage, broken windows, snapped wires. If she squinted, she could see a fleet of ships moving down towards them. Could that be-

“That’d be them, yeah.”

Rei spun round on the spot. In front of her was Thomas Igor, a small satchel on his shoulder. But that wasn’t what Rei noticed.  _ He had shrunk his A.T. field so he wouldn’t be noticed. _

“Please, do not surprise me like that.” she said, quickly regaining her composure.

“Oh, right, I’m sorry.” he said, looking genuinely upset. “It was necessary...I needed to speak to you… about the Field Marshal”

Rei’s eyes widened at this. When they were in the control centre, right after Hadleigh had phoned, Gendo ordered them all to leave, except for Dr Akagi and the Vice Commander. He had never looked more angry. To Rei, this meant that this Field Marshal was bad news. 

“Very well.” she replied. “What is it that you wanted to say?”

Thomas stepped forward, looking at the flooded city. “Kanta Hadleigh is one of the most charismatic men alive. He always gets his way. Always.” the green-haired boy turned to Rei and smiled. “But don’t worry, he’s a very good person. But…”

“Yes?”

“Ayanami…” Thomas suddenly looked very serious. “You mustn’t let Shinji or Pilot Soryu be alone with him. You must stick with them when he’s around. Do you understand?”

Rei nodded. “But...why?” she asked.

Thomas looked like he was about to explain, before twisting around suddenly. Rei knew what he had sensed as well. It was a Section 2 car. He sighed, gripping the railing in frustration. “Can’t say much else.” he whispered. “Sorry.”

“It is fine. I understand.” Rei looked at him. Something definitely seemed to be on his mind. “Thomas, you look...irritated.”

“It’s nothing, just...watching what you say is proving harder than I thought.”

“Trust me, you are doing well at it already.”

Thomas perked up at that. “Was...was that a joke?”

Rei thought about this. “I am not sure…”

“Oh, well, it was pretty funny. In a good way.” Thomas said, shrugging. “It’s just...after reading your file...it was listed under ‘Weaknesses’.”

“Our files have a ‘Weaknesses’ section?” Rei was shocked by this. Privately, she wondered what would happen if the others ever found this out. It would definitely cause Shinji a great deal of stress, and she did not want to think what would happen if Pilot Soryu ever found out.

“Wh-what else was there?” asked Rei suddenly.

“Oh, well...um....”

The Section 2 car suddenly pulled up near them. Thomas returned his A.T. field to normal size. Two agents stepped out of the car.

“Thomas Igor, you are required at the British Embassy.”

Thomas sighed. He nodded at the agents, before turning to Rei. “God, I can’t do anything, can I?”

“It is hardly surprising. You did interrupt our Angel operation. NERV are most certainly suspicious of you.”   
“Oh…right, yeah…” he turned to the car, but stopped. “Are you suspicious of me?”

Rei looked at Thomas. He was a Nephile, but he didn’t know it. He had unprecedented powers over his A.T. field. He was probably there to further the British agenda, whatever that was. But he was so similar to her. His red eyes almost glowed. Rei had never liked red. But, when it was his eyes, she didn’t seem to mind…

“I am. A little.” Rei said. She gave a small smile. “But only because you are suspicious of me.”

Thomas grinned. “You got me. I guess, after years of thinking I was the only person like me...it’s odd seeing someone...who’s the same.”

He got into the car. “I’ll um, see you at the harbour! Nice talking to you!” he cried, as the door was shut. With that, the agents returned to the car. After a few seconds, it drove away. Rei stood there for a few minutes, a smile on her face. Rei knew everything that was to happen, or at least, she had always thought she did. Now, however, she couldn’t say the same. It was irritating, yet…

_ I am a Nephile. _

_ I am the key to the scenario. _

_ I must be aware of all things relating to the Angels. _

_ Therefore… _

_ I must “solve” Thomas Igor. _

The thought was certainly an interesting one. Another directive. Secondary to her primary orders, of course, but these were orders...from herself. Rei pushed the hair out of her face, and started her long walk home.

***

Asuka Langley Soryu was alone. This didn’t bother her, she was usually left alone while her wards worked. She was sitting in the Geofront, just by a large fountain which trickled away. Around her, several NERV officials were moving about, this time without stressed faces, however. Clearly, they were preparing for the British to arrive. Misato had informed Asuka that more cadets were on the way, along with their Field Marshal, whoever that was. Her head hurt with the amount of new information she had. Leliel, the British, Rei rushing in to save her, and Shinji. Oh, Shinji. He’d shown more confidence in the past two days than ever before. It was odd, though. She’d never thought that an idiot like Shinji could rebuke a human who insulted him over and over, let alone an Angel. 

Her thoughts were muddled further by Thomas Igor, who had shown up and told her not to mention the other Tokyo to anyone except Shinji and him, calling it “very very top secret stuff”. This was very irritating, as the city was what Asuka was most interested in. She found herself visualising Shinji and Thomas trapped by a winged beast, but then she, in Unit-02, showed up and fought it off, turning it into a giant Pen-Pen. And then Shinji saw who had saved them and cried out-. 

“Asuka!”

The German saw Shinji Ikari walking towards her, his hand slightly upright in a small wave. Asuka found herself waving back.

“Hey, Third. How’d it go with the Committee?”

“Alright. Listen, I found out some weird stuff.”

Asuka budged up as Shinji sat next to her. They sat in silence for a while, staring at the fountain.

“So, what weird stuff is this?” Asuka asked finally.

“Apparently, my father used to be best friends with the Field Marshal, Kanta Hadleigh.”

Asuka perked up at this. “Your father? A best friend?”

“I know.” chuckled Shinji. “Apparently they fell out over Kanta’s leadership methods. Somehow he gets complete obedience out of his men, and from what I heard, it didn’t sound...natural.”

Asuka thought about this. “Great. Another lingering question.” she leaned back on the bench. “God, I hate this. This not-knowing is  _ awful. _ ”

“You’re telling me.” Shinji muttered. Asuka looked at him. “What?” he asked.

“Idiot. That Angel’s done something to you. I dunno. You’re just...different. Less of a doormat.”

“Wow, thanks. That’s really appreciated.”

“See?” A smirk appeared on Asuka’s face. “Honestly, that Angel did a shit job of breaking your self-esteem.”

“I suppose.” Shinji sighed. How long had it been since he’d been able to talk like this to Asuka? For her, he supposed, it had only been a week, but the last three months were hellish for him. He was going to enjoy this all he could.

“You’re right, though. Not knowing is the worst.” Shinji leaned back on the bench too, gazing up at the rocky ceiling. “To be fair, we know a lot more than most people.”

“Eh, yeah.” Asuka giggled, “You’d have thousands coming over here to see the Angels.”

“Do that many people have a death wish?”

This time Asuka laughed out loud. “Maybe, maybe…”

Shinji turned to her. “I don’t think I could ever go back.”   
“Huh? Go back where?”

“Back to where I was before all this. Back to normal…” he leant forward. “At first, I wondered how long I was going to be here. But...it’s better here than...where I was.”

“So, once the Angels are gone...you’re staying here?”

“Hopefully. I mean, I’ve even managed to make friends here.”

Asuka thought about this. “I’m going back to Germany after this. It’s far nicer there. You can actually get snow there! Over here, it’s always summer! Which, sure, was nice at first, but now…”

Shinji listened to Asuka rant for a few minutes. She seemed to have her own opinion on  _ everything,  _ which is probably what he liked about her. In his head, he saw a flash of the future. He saw Asuka, broken, both mentally and physically, her hand on his face, calling him disgusting, as Shinji broke down and-

“Shinji? You ok?”

“Huh?” The third child returned to reality for a moment. He put his own hand up to his eye and felt a tear. He couldn’t tell her. How would she forgive him? How could she? Besides, Shinji hoped, if he played his cards right, that would never happen again.

“I-I’m fine. I just...God, our lives are insane…”

Asuka gave a smile. It wasn’t even a smirk, but a true smile. “You’re telling me.”

“I-I guess I was just thinking of Leliel. Seeing my mother.”

Asuka’s smile faded. “Shinji....look...about what I said when we...about your mother...I was…”

“Don’t worry about it.” Shinji said suddenly. “Please.” He meant that with all his heart. He couldn’t bear to see Asuka in that way again. He just couldn’t. Whatever it took, he was going to keep Asuka happy.

“Ok, but...I just thought...If anyone said those things about my ma-...my mother, I would have killed them.”   
Shinji smiled slightly. “Your mother…”   
“Yeah, she died when I was 4. It was horrible.” Asuka brought her legs up onto the bench.

“I was 4 when my mother died. There was a contact experiment, with Unit-01. It went wrong, and she-” Shinji stopped. It struck him that he was talking about his mother’s death with someone. Asuka was right. He had changed.

“You know...my m-mother’s death...it was because of a contact experiment too.”

That struck Shinji as odd. When impact happened, he had seen his mother, or at least he thought he did, his memory of it was...hadn’t he found this out? He ignored the feeling of forgetting something important, and focused back on Asuka.

“I didn’t know that...I’m sorry…”

“I mean, she didn’t vanish, but...it was why she died later on…” Asuka trailed off.

“Oh, I see…”

“...I’m sorry your mother died too, Shinji.”

The two sat in silence for a minute. Shinji had never,  _ ever, _ felt relaxed around Asuka. He was always on edge in case she insulted him. But now, they were...just talking to each other. Like normal teenagers. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world.  _ Freedom. _ Shinji allowed himself to forget what was to come, just for this moment.

Asuka found herself thinking too. She had never had time for people who were sorry for herselves, everyone in NERV knew that by now, but Shinji was...different. Asuka could see it now, she was sure of it. Under the anxiety, and the nervousness, and the fear, there was something else. Shinji was kind. He cared what other people thought. He had...empathy, an empathy which nobody she’d ever known had. It was a shame, she thought, that that scumbag of a father Shinji had didn’t seem to want him to use it. Why else would he send his son away?

Her train of thought was interrupted, however, by Misato Katsuragi, who was running toward them, paperwork in hand.

“Okay, guys! Back home for a celebratory dinner, then off to the harbour to see MI7’s division arrive!”

Asuka and Shinji looked at each other and smiled.

“I’ll cook.” Shinji whispered.

“Oh, thank God.”

***

Eight o’clock came, and many of the higher-ups of NERV and the UN were present. Commander Ikari stood nearby Vice Commander Fuyutsuki, and next to him stood the British member of the Human Instrumentality Committee. In the first row of seats, were the Lieutenants, Ritsuko Akagi, and Misato. Behind them sat Asuka, Shinji, Rei, and Thomas. The final seat in that row was filled by a NERV official. Rei recognised him as one of the British agents who phoned Hadleigh.

“So,” whispered Thomas, as the boats began to pull into the harbour. “Rei, I meant to ask you something.”

Rei looked at him. “Yes?” she made sure to bolster her own A.T. field to quieten what she was saying. Thomas was doing the same, though Rei wondered if he knew it.

“How did you know to come to the airport when I arrived?”

He was fishing for intelligence.  _ He was most likely given this mission when he was escorted to the British Embassy,  _ Rei thought.

“How long have you been sending spies into NERV?” she retorted.

Thomas almost fell off his chair. “Blimey...that file is  _ wrong... _ ok, fair point. But,it answers my question, does it not?”   
Rei felt angry with herself. This was a new experience. She wanted to get rid of this experience immediately. “Worry not. It is only myself who knows that you have agents within NERV.”

“Good, good.” said Thomas, wiping his forehead. “It would have been a hassle getting them all out. Are you going to tell the Commander?”

Rei paused. “I...do not know…”

“Oh...that’s very welcoming.”

Rei smiled. She could see that Thomas was angry at himself now. But Thomas wasn’t letting this go. “Okay, Rei, look...”

“Psst, Shinji, can you hear what those two are talking about?” Asuka murmured.

“No, no clue, they’re both really quiet.” Shinji said, shaking his head. Shinji peered past Maya Ibuki’s head, and saw the great iron ship slow to a crawl. On it, Shinji could see several boys and girls around his own age, forming a line. At their head was a man in green uniform with his arms to the side. Shinji knew who it was instantly.

Down the ramp walked a man in military uniform, adorned with three medals. He wore a hat with a golden symbol on it, and had thick black boots on that clanked along the metal ramp. His face was well-chiselled, his cheeks covered in a stubble. The man reminded Shinji of Kaji, if he had learned not to slouch and had cut his hair. This was Field Marshal Kanta Hadleigh. Asuka seemed to realise this too, as she had started to pay attention. Rei looked in deep thought. Thomas was smiling. Shinji turned to look at his father. He was staying remarkably still. If only, Shinji thought, he could hear what they were saying. He leaned forward, trying to pick anything up.

As a result, he did not notice Rei and Thomas nod to each other, before increasing the size of their A.T. fields. Shinji was then very surprised when he could hear everything going on.

“Welcome to Japan, Field Marshal Hadleigh.” the British Committee member said.

“ **Thank you most kindly, sir.** ” he said, before turning to Commander Ikari.

“ **Gendo Ikari.** ” he said simply. “ **You have no idea how good it is to see you. How long has it been, eleven years?** ”

“Something like that.” Gendo said. “It’s...good to see you too.”

“ **We can discuss our school days later.** ” Hadleigh chuckled, nodding at the Vice Commander. Gendo moved back towards him.

“It’s as I theorised.” his father said, as Hadleigh talked to the Committee member. “He has improved his strategy to perfection.”   
“ **Gendo, you’re too kind.** ” called out Kanta. Gendo’s eyes widened. Fuyutsuki gasped. Hadleigh turned back to his great ship, eyeing the British flag that fluttered in the wind.

“ **Cadets! Quick-march!** ” he yelled.

At this, the teenagers Shinji had seen earlier came down the ramp. There were about a dozen or two of them, all in Green Uniforms. Thomas’s smile grew into a grin. Hadleigh turned to face the crowd, and beckoned Thomas over. At once, Thomas got off the seat and walked over.

“ **Ah, Igor, how did your mission go?** ” he asked, as he walked over to a podium with a microphone.

“Fine, just fine. The mission was a great success, sir.”

“ **Good, good. And the Third Child?** ”

“More confident than ever.”

“ **Really?** ” The Field Marshal turned and glared at Shinji, who felt himself recline back in his seat. He hadn’t felt this nervous in a long time. Hadleigh, meanwhile, stepped up to the podium.

“ **Greetings, esteemed members of NERV! Before I begin, I would like to congratulate you on your victories against the Angels thus far. Know that Great Britain is thankful for your valiant efforts.** ”

Shinji wasn’t sure why, but he found himself smiling. He was probably aware of the Instrumentality Project, and is probably trying to help it come about, but Shinji couldn’t help but trust him.

“ **Now, you are most likely wondering why exactly I have come here. You see, it has become clear to the UN’s top scientists that for a variety of reasons, the Angels are becoming stronger. The most recent one, after all, required entry into a Dirac Sea to destroy it! As a result, I feel that it is both MI7’s and my own moral duty to help you all in any way I can.”**

“ **As such, I bring not only top equipment to study and break through the next few Angel’s defences, but also my Cadets, who have been trained to operate said machinery.** ”

The Field Marshal kept on for a few minutes, about “morals” and such, but Shinji found himself losing focus. To his left, Rei was sat gripping her skirt. Something was very wrong, because Rei looked angry. Rei was never angry. 

“Ayanami?” Shinji asked.

“Hmm? Oh, it is nothing, Shinji. Do not worry.”

“If you say so,” he whispered, turning back to Hadleigh. He came to the end of speech, and turned to leave. Misato told him that they were to be staying at the British Embassy in Tokyo-3. He turned to Asuka, and told her what happened with Rei.

“Weird...but, that Kanta sure was interesting, huh?”

“Umm...not really...I mean I guess...but…” All around him, people seemed to be talking about how great Hadleigh was. The speech didn’t seem that interesting to Shinji, yet everyone else seemed to love it. Was this what his father meant when he said that Kanta has a “power” over people? Was this the power of “King Kanta”? He turned around to look at the ship, which pulled away from the dock. Then, Shinji noticed Rei, still by the chairs, who was gazing at the Cadets, Thomas and Kanta.

“Umm...Ayanami...are you okay?”

Rei didn’t seem to hear him. Her gaze was kept on Kanta Hadleigh. It was like she was in some kind of trance. Asuka came running up behind them.

“Hey, Shinji, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Ayanami, she’s-”

Suddenly, Rei  _ growled. _ Asuka’s eyes widened. Shinji looked at Rei. He turned to the British group, and saw Kanta staring right back at them. He waved at the three, before getting into a car. Two words escaped through Rei’s gritted teeth:   
  


“That  _ thief….” _


	7. Many Hands Make, Many Cooks Spoil, Part 1

Neon Exodus Evangelion 

Volume 1: The Return of Evangelion 

Chapter 7: Many Hands Make, Many Cooks Spoil, Part 1 

Nobody feels it when they grow. It’s a part of life, happening all the time. Shrinking, on the other hand, is far more noticeable, as it never normally happens. This is what Shinji Ikari felt as he lay on his futon in his silent room. Four months of height, gone. It was like he was on a king-sized mattress; he kept expecting the wooden floor at his feet, but just got more comfort. _That seemed to sum up his time here,_ he thought to himself. He kept expecting something, anything to blow up in his face. But this place, this time, it wasn’t wrong, rather, unexpected...

It was at this point Shinji realised that he hadn’t got any sleep. He looked at his watch. 5:50am. _Shit._ School was going to be hell today, that was for sure. He forced his eyes shut. He’d spent the entire night thinking about what the hell he was going to do, about everything that had changed so far. More than anything, he thought about his father. For once in that man’s sorry existence, he’d been right. Kanta Hadleigh was a force to be reckoned with. Shinji found himself empathising with Gendo, seeing his calm facade smashed into little bits by the docks. Shinji was almost convinced that Kanta wasn’t human. He could bring down his father a peg, hear things that he shouldn’t have been able to hear, and convince an entire audience of soldiers to like him in one speech. At least he had Rei’s support in the matter. She had called him a thief...What could that have meant? Had he “stolen” his kingly power? Had he come here to steal something else? Had he-

Shinji brought his hands to his face, in a fruitless attempt to stop his brain from working. He needed sleep, damn it, and he needed it quickly. A final thought crossed his mind. Asuka. She’d seemed to forgive him for the whole kiss thing, now he hadn’t left it hanging between them. They’d even talked about their mothers. Their mothers. Both of whom, apparently, died thanks to contact experiments. Shinji had never hated Asuka for how she treated him, but now...he could see it. It was like they’d gone off in different directions; he’d become more closed off, she’d become oh so angry at everyone and everything. 

_Well, not at you..._

Shinji frowned. His ego wanted a say. That never happened. It had a point though, she wasn’t angry at him. Hell, she’d basically told him that he was her second favourite person, and when first was Ryoji Kaji, second wasn’t too shabby...

Shinji eventually drifted off, but he knew it wouldn’t be for long...

***

It was 6:40 am. Rei’s eyes snapped open, just as they always did at that time. It was now time to get ready for school. Rei got out of bed. Rei had her shower. Rei got into her school clothes. Rei walked over to the table. Rei looked at her pills. Rei...kept looking at her pills. She was thirty seconds off schedule. Yesterday, Rei had gone to the hospital and waited for Shinji to wake up. She had kept a mental note of the fact that she was not at full ability due to that missed night of sleep. But during that day, Rei had been unable to take her pills. And it was different. She’d felt happy to see Shinji awake, and excited to talk to Thomas, and curious towards his aims, and angry towards his Field Marshal. 

That was the most surprising thing. Rei wasn’t sure what Pilots Ikari and Soryu had heard, but she had promptly told them that she was just fine and that she would see them at school tomorrow. Or rather today, as it now was. She frowned at the bottles and boxes. Part of her told her that perhaps it wasn’t these after all. Another part of her reminded her that even if it was her pills, it was her duty to follow Commander Ikari’s orders. She had her hands over her first dose when she heard something from the outside.

“ _All, the people, so many people;_

_And they all, go, hand in hand,_

_Hand in hand through their..._

_Parklife..._ ”

Rei stepped out of her apartment and looked down onto the street. There was nobody there, apart from a green-haired boy in a white shirt and black trousers, moving down the pavement to a rhythm only he could hear.

“Thomas?” Rei said, apparently loud enough for him to hear her. He put away his headphones and looked around, before noticing Ayanami.

“Oh! Pilot Ayanami! I didn’t know you lived here! I... I was told nobody lived here! Guess they were wrong!”

Rei’s eyes widened. Had Kanta sent him here?

“Thomas, what are you doing here?” she asked, louder than she had ever heard herself speak before.

“I...I couldn’t sleep. It’s boiling!” he called to her, gesturing to the city. “What about you? I didn’t wake you, did I?”

“No, no. I woke up a few minutes ago.” Rei said. She looked around. Across the city, small A.T. fields were starting to grow. People were getting up.

“Wait there. I shall come down.” With that, she grabbed her school bag and got down the stairs as quickly as she could.

Outside her apartment building, Thomas was standing there, looking at the city’s centre, a few miles west.

“I...went for a walk. It’s way too stuffy to sleep, so I tried to get some fresh air.”

“Of course. As a result of Second Impact, there is a constant high temperature in this area of the country.” She said, reciting a book she had read verbatim.

“I’d been warned about that.” he said, smiling, “But nobody mentioned the bloody _insects_.” he said, pinching the top of his nose. “They’re so loud! How do you manage it?”

Rei considered this. “I am merely used to them. You should become used to them too, if you stay here long enough.”

“I hope so.” he paused for a moment. “It’s just occurred to me that I have no idea how long I’m staying here. Huh.”

“Well, there is no way of knowing when the Angel attacks will stop.” Rei kept her face still. There were very few things she very much didn’t like. Lying was one of them. She could...omit certain details, but telling an actual falsehood made her...uneasy.

“Yeah, that’s a shame, isn’t it? Ah well.”

Rei found herself lost for words once again. Thomas didn’t seem too sure what to say either. They just stood there for a while, as the sun came up past the skyscrapers. Finally, Thomas turned to Rei.

“Um...would you mind showing me to the school? I brought my bag with me, I...didn’t really want to go back to the Embassy.”

That was odd. Why didn’t he want to go back? He appeared to be telling the truth. Moreover, his A.T. field was smaller than ever. This boy became more of a mystery everytime Rei saw him.

“Of course, Thomas. Right this way.”

***

It was 7 in the morning when Shinji finally got up and out of his room. Even he knew just over an hour of sleep wasn’t going to be enough to get through the day. He slowly moved around the kitchen, fumbling around for bowls and spoons. He sat himself down at the table and tried desperately not to fall face first into his breakfast. He almost did, but was woken up sharply by Asuka Langley Soryu slamming open her door.

“Cereal? Really?” she said, an eyebrow raised.

“Good morning to you too, Asuka.” said Shinji, playing with his spoon in the bowl.

“Ah-Excuse me?” she cried, looking at the boy. “Okay, wow, rude...”

“Oh, come _on_ .” retorted Shinji, turning around. He regretted this instantly. She was staring at him in that way she always did, and it took all of Shinji’s energy to gaze back. “You’re one to talk. Am I not allowed a break?”   
“Sorry, baka. Your 24 hour ‘out-of-Leliel-grace-period’ is _over_. Where’s my lunch?”

Shinji felt his fists clench. His brain replayed that moment, the moment he’d well and truly fucked up and started Third Impact, over and over. He could not allow himself to lose control like that again. _But I’m not just going to roll over and take this, am I?_

“Your lunch is not ready. I was in the hospital, remember? I had literally no time.”

“I-”

“Which happened to fall under my grace period.”  
Asuka stared at him, open-mouthed. Shinji allowed himself to smirk. “Sorry, Asuka, I don’t make the ru-”

He was interrupted by the door to Misato’s room opening. Out came Major Katsuragi, fully in uniform for once.

“You too, play nice now.” she said, checking her clipboard. “There’s still a lot of cleanup to be done, so they’re dragging me down early to get it done so people can head to work again.”

The two teenagers were silent. Misato was never ready this early. They watched as she waved to them, before closing the door behind her.

“First you, then her.” Asuka mumbled, sitting at the table. “Whatever happened to routine?”

“You tell me.” said Shinji, checking everything was in his school bag. “You haven’t whacked me over the head yet, so that’s progress.”

Asuka actually looked concerned at this. She hadn’t thought of a retort yet, which meant it had got to her. This worried Shinji. He opened his mouth, but-

“Don’t apologise!” she yelled.

“I wasn’t-”

“Yeah, right!” she leaned over the table and smirked. “It’s a fair observation, baka, I’ll grant you that. If you want your morning wack, then just ask.”

“I’ll be sure to.”

They both looked at each other, red appearing on their cheeks as they realised what they had just said.

“Y’know, I changed my mind, I’m glad Misato isn’t here.”

Shinji found himself laughing. “Oh, God, we’d never hear the end of it.”

A smile broke over Asuka’s face. Eventually, she gave in and started giggling.

Twenty minutes later, they were both off towards the school. On their way, they saw the skyline of central Tokyo-3, still covered in red stains. It was bizarre, seeing red liquid fall into the drains as they walked along the roads. Mentally, Asuka was making several jokes she’d share with Shinji if she ever wanted to really torment him. Which judging from how he had been so far, would not be long. Shinji, meanwhile, was feeling a mix of emotions. On the one hand, he was upset that after just one day, he and Asuka had gone back to butting heads, and he had done nothing to change that. And yet, they’d had that moment, where they both couldn’t stop laughing. He was worried, worried that if he did one little thing wrong he’d be sent on the rollercoaster-mind-screw that was Instrumentality.

As they approached the school, Shinji found himself slowing to a crawl. Asuka turned to look at him.

“What?”

He put a finger to his mouth, and waited. From the school, very faintly, came the sound of someone playing piano. Asuka heard it too, and they both quickened their pace as they entered the school. In one of the larger halls, there was a piano. Since few people knew how to play it, it remained untouched. So who was playing it?  
Shinji pushed open the door to the hall and found none other than Thomas Igor on the seat, playing a piece that Shinji didn’t recognise. Around him were the other Cadets that Shinji had seen yesterday, and nearby them was Rei Ayanami. Thomas noticed them and came to a finish, and as the occupants of the room applauded him he got off and moved towards the newcomers.

“Shinji, Asuka. Good to see you! Sorry I left without saying hello or anything, the Field Marshal wanted us back at the Embassy quickly.”

“Hey, it's fine, don’t worry,” said Shinji quickly, giving a wave to Ayanami. Thomas could tell he was looking at the myriad of Cadets around the piano, who were talking amongst themselves.

“Ooh, you haven’t met these guys yet, have you?”

The group turned to look at Shinji and Asuka, who suddenly felt like they were under a spotlight. Thomas moved towards them.

“Okay, so there’s...

Matthew,

Donna,

Nellie,

Philip,

Lizzie,

Bailey the boy,

Lucas,

Atticus,

Bailey the girl,

Bruno S,

Bruno D,

Charlie,

Victoria,

William,

Arnold,

Jeremy,

And Archie!”

The last boy Thomas gestured to, Archie, moved forward.

“ _English, English._ Nice to meet you all. We’ve seen you all in action, and I for one am most impressed.”

The other cadets nodded, looking at each other as they did so. Shinji kept very still. These cadets gave him the same feeling that Kanta did, and that couldn’t be good. But what really was irritating Shinji was how _smug_ they all were. Shinji didn’t mind it when Asuka was smug, because that came and went. With these people, it felt constant. Rei didn’t seem happy either, and had moved towards him and Asuka as Thomas had introduced his allies. Shinji couldn’t quite tell what Asuka thought, but that could wait.

“Rei, you alright?” he asked quietly.

“I am just fine.” Rei whispered, in a tone which did not mean “fine”. “Thomas was showing me what he could play when...they...showed up.”

The cadets seemed eager to talk to the Pilots, but Thomas, it seemed, could sense the attention was unwanted.

“Don’t worry, they won’t be in your class. There’d be far too many for that.” he said with a smile. “Alright, guys, our class is in...3-B, right, Ayanami?”

Rei nodded silently, slowly backing behind Shinji.

“Very well.” said Archie, turning to Thomas. “Come on, Greenie.”

“R-right...” he stammered, his smile vanishing. He gave a small wave and followed the other cadets. For a moment, the three EVA pilots just stood there.

“Asuka...I know my paranoia’s usually off, but...”  
“I dunno. They don’t seem too bad. What do you think, Wondergirl?”

“I...think we should get to class. We do not want to be late.”

They set off, and Shinji let Asuka go ahead. He turned to Rei.

“Ayanami, I might be wrong, but...I get the feeling that you don’t like those people, am I right?”  
“Pilot Ikari...” Rei began, “If Thomas is friends with them, I see no reason why they can not be trusted.”

“Look.” Shinji thought of what he wanted to say. For the most part, he hadn’t wanted to remember what had happened regarding Rei. Who she was, what she meant for Instrumentality. But that didn’t mean Shinji didn’t care about her. “Ayanami. If they ever...do anything, like pick on you or anything like that, please, let me, or Thomas, or someone know.”

Rei nodded. “I understand. Thank you for your offer.”

As Shinji and Rei entered the classroom, Asuka was busy talking to Hikari. The class representative saw Shinji and immediately came over to him.

“Shinji!” she said suddenly, “I...I never got to thank you for helping us with Major Katsuragi.”  
Shinji’s brain desperately tried to reorganise itself, deciding to go for the standby. “Oh, it’s nothing, really...”

“No, it is! If that was marked as an incident, I could have my career choices really limited.”

Asuka guffawed behind them. Shinji finished his conversation with Hikari and sat down at his seat. Career choices...now that was a sobering concept. The last person he was going to tell about Third Impact was Hikari. She struck him as the sort of person who had planned their entire life out in advance. Shinji, meanwhile, hadn’t given the future much thought. Perhaps knowing that the future was going to be red seas and white, scorched earth made him less anxious about knowing what he wanted to be when he was older.

This train of thought was interrupted, however, by Toji Suzuhara, who looked ever-so-slightly irritated.

“Hey, uh...thanks for saving my ass back there too.”  
“Look, it’s nothing, I was the one who got you out there in the first place, so...”

“It’s not that.” he said rather sharply. “I shoulda told Hikari to stay put, but I didn’t cause, hey, it was...kinda nice t’ have her there, and...y’know...”

“Yeah, I know.” Shinji said, smiling. “Where’s Kensuke?”

“He’ll be in later.” replied Toji. “I think he wanted to get some pics of’ those great big British Dreadnoughts.”

“Yeah, that sounds like him.”

“Hey, that reminds me, did you see those Cadet guys?”

Shinji nodded. “Thomas is alright, the guy who ran into Leliel, but those others are kinda...I dunno, kinda full of themselves.”

“Well, look at you, speaking your mind.” said Toji, puffing out his chest. “I guess I’ve taught you well. Oh, and the Red Demon, I guess.”

Shinji put his bag on the table. He looked around. Asuka was busy gossiping, Toji was relaxing, Rei was staring out the window. Shinji would never take “normal” for granted again.

Their lessons came and went, until lunch came around. Since it was still quite warm, everyone was outside, including the cadets, who had split themselves into groups and were conversing amongst all of the cliques. A few of them, Archie and Thomas included, were with Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke Aida, the last of which had arrived ten minutes late.

“Wow, so you guys actually came here on a British Dreadnought!” Kensuke said, practically squealing.

“Well...I came on a Concorde, remember.” pointed out Thomas.

“Right, right...But that’s even crazier! I thought they were decommissioned in the late 90s!”

“Most were, yeah...” But Thomas seemed distracted by something. Out of the corner of his eye, Shinji could see what he was staring at: Rei. Eating on her own.

“Now, Greenie,” said Archie, moving forward. “That’s not all you were sent here with, hmm? You had a mission from the Field Marshal, didn’t you?”

“I don’t think now is the time to get into that...” began Thomas, before trailing off. He quickly returned to reality, however. “The Field Marshal knows. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

That appeared to shut him up. The other two boys smiled in that smug way all the cadets smiled. Shinji felt his attention draw away too. While the other boys were enrapt by the British teenagers, and their stories of the trip here, he found himself unable to hear them. On the other side of the playground, the female cadets were talking to Asuka and Hikari. Sometimes, Shinji wondered what on earth they talked about, and why whatever they said required such giggling. He was surprised, therefore,when he managed to hear a few words:

“So...s’not bad here..” said one of the cadets.

“Trust me,” said Asuka, “endless summer sounds good on paper, but ya get bored of it eventually.”

“You know what, you’re so right.”

“Plus all those bugs.” said another cadet. “And that noise they make! It’s _everywhere!”_

“It’s not so bad. I find it quite relaxing. It’s nice to always have it there.” piped up Hikari.

“Uh...huh...” the cadets looked at each other. “So, Asuka, you’ve actually piloted an EVA, huh? That’s pretty amazing.”

“That’s right,” Asuka replied, gazing wistfully at the sky, “I’m the best at it, too.”

“So we’ve heard.”

Shinji was amazed. All they did was stroke her ego, and it was _working_ . _Maybe that’s why it doesn’t affect me,_ he thought, _you need an ego to stroke in the first place._ He turned around, and realised that Thomas had gone. Shinji looked around the benches, before finding that head of green hair next to a head of blue. Thomas and Rei, talking to each other. It certainly helped to have someone else who cared about other people’s wellbeing. Shinji sighed. Part of him wished he could just get up and go and talk to Asuka, but she was surrounded by cadets. They were up to something, and Shinji knew it. But he had to talk to Asuka about it. He was worried. Very worried. But what could he do? He sat there for a while, almost praying for a miracle.

And it came.

It was for the best that Shinji hadn’t got any sleep. If he had, he would have remembered that Asuka wanted a sauce with her rice. Which isn't stored in the fridge. This little detail had vanished from Shinji’s memory, and so he was thoroughly convinced that he had somehow summoned Lilith, Adam, or _someone_ , because Asuka was now marching towards him. The cadets speaking to Toji and Kensuke looked up. Thomas and Rei glanced over. Shinji took a deep breath. He knew something big was coming.

“Baka!” she yelled. “You forgot! What are you, stupid? How could you forget something like that?”

A very little part of Shinji’s mind very much wanted to take the chance to bring down Asuka a peg, but Shinji knew that attacking Asuka was a bad, bad idea. He had to be very careful what he said next. It was rather like fighting an Angel with a Toothache.

“You know it isn’t in the fridge.” began Shinji, not getting up. “I thought you’d have known that.”

“Well, I didn’t think to look there, did I?”

“So, what exactly have _I_ done wrong?” he retorted

There were a few gasps. Shinji glanced around. All the cadets had shocked expressions on their faces. That part of Shinji was at work again. _They wanted to keep us apart,_ it said, _well, we showed them, didn’t we?_ He had to remind himself that it was dumb luck that got him and Asuka where they were now, not brilliant foresight. The only cadet who wasn’t open mouthed was Thomas Igor. He had a wicked grin on his face.

“Oh, ok, ok, Shinji-” began Asuka

“Using my name, that’s an improvement-” butted in Shinji.

“Alright, baka. I think I’m gonna be the bigger one here and let this slide...”

“Then why’d you come over? Just to see me?” he retorted

“Watch it, nitwit. Someone might think you’re good at people skills.” Asuka said with a smile.

“First time for everything.” said Shinji, smiling back at her. Everyone else didn’t seem to know how to react.

“Ok guys, if you could stop arguing like an old married couple?!” yelled Toji, causing the school to burst into laughter. Shinji felt himself blush, and saw Asuka do the same. _That’s come early,_ Shinji thought. Luckily, he had a comeback for this.

“Says the guy who has a lover’s quarrel with the Class Rep every other day.”

The group there burst into laughter yet again. It was now Hikari and Toji’s turn to blush. Looking around, Shinji realised that there were seventeen British teenagers with scowls on their faces. There was also a green-haired Brit giving Shinji a thumbs-up, next to Rei Ayanami, who had a rare smile on her face.

As the class bell rang, Asuka caught up with Shinji.

“Hey, not bad, Shinji. Thanks for getting us out of that.” she said, patting him on the back.

“Yeah. I thought denying it would have the opposite effect, so I...used what I knew.”

“So...” Asuka said, thinking for a second. “You think those two...”

“‘Think’?”

The two laughed for a second, before entering the class once again. Everyone appeared to be talking about what happened. Even Rei had stopped staring out the window, instead soaking in the conversations around her. Shinji smiled at her. Rei gave what looked like a smirk. _Now that’s progress,_ Shinji thought.

The physics lesson passed with little incident, and the class were leaving when they saw the Cadets come down the stairs near them. Thomas got down first, moving towards Ayanami. Part of Shinji wanted to listen in, but he decided against it. What they talked about was their business. Another thought crossed him. He turned on the spot and went back towards the class. Inside, Hikari was pushing in all the chairs that had been left out.

“H-Hikari?”

“Hmm? Oh!” Hikari jumped suddenly. “Hi Ikari...”

“Listen...” began Shinji, “I’m sorry for...back at lunch...I didn’t”  
“Oh, that.” Hikari smiled. “Don’t worry. Even I found that a little funny. Although...”

“What?”

“Weird how the British guys didn’t seem happy.”

Shinji paused at that. “You noticed too?”

“Yeah. I mean, probably another style of humour over there. Who am I to judge?”

Shinji waved goodbye and finally got out of the school. He was looking forward to getting home for once, he could plan what the hell he was going to do to save Toji from Bardiel, maybe even speak to Kaji, and-

Shinji stopped. He felt like he was being watched. He turned around, and saw the seventeen other cadets in front of him. Archie was leading them.

“Hey Shinji. See you around.”

“What’s that meant to mean?”

“You’ll see.”

As he left, Archie turned to the other Cadets.

“Alright, let’s get busy.”

***

The next day, Rei was distant again. Thomas was silent. Misato had a day off, and was completely useless. Asuka was angry for no reason, and Shinji couldn’t think of anything to say back. He could see her, waiting for a retort, but nothing came. He felt low. Very low. He was told that a sync test was happening on Saturday. Shinji had always hated sync tests.

The day after that, Shinji didn’t sit with Toji and Kensuke. He just sat on his own, and in the corner of his eye he could see Archie buttering up Asuka. He couldn’t stand the sight of it. He tried approaching Rei, asking what was wrong, but she maintained that she was fine. Well, she said “perfectly average”, which made Shinji feel even worse.

Thursday came. It was hell. Asuka hit him no less than five times. She accused him of dragging her down, and blamed him for her sync score falling again. Thomas wasn’t even there. Apparently, he had something he had to do at the Embassy. Misato didn’t even notice. She just had to work, and drink, but said that Kaji was coming on Sunday. Shinji wondered if he’d make it to Sunday. When he got into bed, Shinji just cried. He’d tried to be confident. Where had it got him? Worse than before.

But the ego didn’t go away. All this time, he was angry. Angry at the cadets, angry at Rei for being so blank, angry at Misato for being too drunk to notice anything, angry at Asuka for falling hook, line and sinker for the cadets. On Friday, Thomas still wasn’t in. Asuka didn’t look well either. Her eyes were red. She had been crying.

“Asuka?” Shinji tried.

“What?! What do you want?!” was all he got.

Lunch came, and Shinji saw it. On Monday, the Cadets had been overly laughing at every little joke. Now...

“And I said, ‘that’s me!’”

“Bahahaha! Nice one, Arch!”

One week. No, not even that, _four days._ Four days was all it took for Kanta to have taken everything Shinji had and turn it on its head. Shinji left the school early. He didn’t care if he got in trouble. It wasn’t like anyone cared. As he wandered the streets, something struck Shinji. He wanted his mother. He was in a quiet part of town, and everyone else was at work. Shinji moved into an alley. He sat in it and cried. Just cried. He’d failed. He’d failed his mother, Asuka, Rei, Toji...

_Kaworu._

He hadn’t just failed Kaworu. He’d forgotten him. Somewhere, in a SEELE facility, he was there, waiting for Shinji. How could he have forgotten that? He thought about the future. Shinji’s eyes widened. 

He was forgetting the future. 

Already, so many of the things said in his visions had been wiped from his memory.Kaworu, his mother, Asuka... How was he supposed to change the future if he couldn’t remember what he had learned? His head hurt. _It was like someone had cut holes into it._ If Shinji had to guess, Kanta. Kanta had shown up and ruined everything. What had he wanted? He’d reduced his school to a vapid mess. He’d sent his cadets to... _to take Asuka away from me._

Shinji got up and stared at the sky.

“Well?! Are you happy?! You’ve ruined my life, whoever you are. You got here, you sent your little troops in, you destroyed _any_ chance of happiness I could have got, so now what?! Leave me to die?!” he cried up at the sky.

“COME ON!!! I’M NOT GONNA DO IT MYSELF, AM I?! DON’T LEAVE ME TO DIE AND THEN MAKE ME END IT!”

He paused. He hoped, hoped and hoped for a reply, starting to wonder if he had gone insane, when...

“Hello. I think you might need a hand.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, that was a little bit of Mood Whiplash. But I think that goes to show just how dire things are...  
> Sorry if it got a little too angsty for your tastes, if you have any suggestions/criticisms, please let me know! I am very  
> curious as to what you all think of this chapter in particular!


	8. Many Hands Make, Many Cooks Spoil, Part 2

Chapter 8: Many Hands Make, Many Cooks Spoil, Part 2

“You really are in the dumps, aren’t you Shinji?”

Shinji looked around the alley. He couldn’t see anyone. He wiped the tears from his eyes and backed up against a wall.

“Who’s there?!” he asked the thin air. 

“It’s me. Who else would it be, Shinji?”

Shinji didn’t recognise the voice. Its Japanese had no accent, not German nor British, but was slightly garbled.

“Who...I still don’t…”

“Don’t you? We spoke to each other, don’t you remember?” The voice appeared to be coming from every direction at once. As it spoke, the neon signs flickered, and the screens swirled.Furthermore, Shinji’s vision seemed to flicker, like he was getting double vision every few seconds as everything was tinted pinkish, before returning to normal. “You’ve forgotten an awful lot of things, haven’t you?”

Shinji perked up at this. “You know? About where I…”

“Of course I know! I was there!” the voice cried.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I don’t remember! I...my memory is…”  
“I’m aware. It is what happens when one goes back.”

Shinji paused at this. “You know I’ve time travelled, don’t you?”

“It’s more accurate to say you ‘turned back time’, but yes, I know. I’m sorry about your memories, Shinji. Kanta doesn’t like people messing with his plans.”

“So it is Kanta.” Shinji stated, pushing himself off the wall. “I was starting to think I was blaming him for no reason.”

“That’s understandable.” said the voice blankly.

“So...who are you?” Shinji asked slowly.

“I...I am Lujo. Lujo the Magician.”

“Ok...Lujo...where are you?”

“Oh, I’m not there with you. I’m afraid I can’t be right now. But, as a magician, I have...certain powers…”

“Powers like Kanta and the Cadets have?” said Shinji cautiously.

“Oh, yes. Well, some of their powers. But I refuse to participate in the memory-cutting and emotional manipulation that they utilise.” Lujo explained.

“I see…”

“Listen, Shinji. I’m here to tell you not to let this be the end of you.”

“Why?” Shinji couldn’t understand it. “Why do you want to help me?”

“Because you asked me to. Because I want to. Because…” Lujo chuckled to himself. “I’d like to see that Kanta’s plans crash and burn.”

“Look...I don’t remember you...how do you know who I am?” Shinji tried.

“Hmm...I wonder if I can help you remember...how about...when we met?”

Shinji felt his brain ache, then-

***

_The night sky was full of stars, cloudless. To their left, they saw the sun starting to break through the horizon. It gave the crimson seas in front of them an even deeper hue. Shinji had found the white sand that now covered the city soft to the touch. He pushed himself up off the ground and stood upright, while Asuka watched the waves ebb and flow. In front of them, the giant face of Rei Ayanami was sinking into the red depths._

_“That’s not even her.” said Shinji. “That’s another Rei. The Rei we knew died when Armisael attacked...and they just made another one.”_

_“How?” inquired Asuka, looking at her bandages._

_“They...had this tank. Full of...well, full of Rei Ayanamis. But, Ritsuko broke down and killed them all. It was...horrible.”_

_They were silent again._

_“Is anyone else going to come out?” Asuka said, playing with the sand using her good hand._

_“I don’t know.” responded Shinji._

_“You know, you don’t have to wait.”_

_The two turned around. A figure stood before them._ Shinji realised he was seeing this through Lujo’s eyes.

_“Wh-who...Who are you?!” screeched Asuka, backing away. Both she and Shinji looked utterly terrified._

_“I am Lujo. I have a proposition for you…”_

_***_

Shinji’s eyes opened. He sat up, clutching his heart and trying to slow down his breathing. “Wh-what was that…”

“One of my memories.” said Lujo. “See? We do know each other. Now, regarding the Cadets...why don’t you want to fight them?”

“There are too many of them.”

“And?”

“Thomas is missing.”  
“And?”

“Asuka hates me, Rei’s ignoring me, Misato’s too drunk to care half the time, and-”

“Yes, yes, but these are all caused by Kanta and his cadets, you see. Besides…” said Lujo, interrupting Shinji yet again. “You want to fight them.”

“Wh-what?” Shinji stammered.

“You want revenge for what they’ve done over the past four days. Listen…”

“Kanta’s Cadets...they’re planning something rather diabolical. This isn’t just them taking over your school’s cliques. They’re fattening up your friends for the slaughter, Shinji, and it’s up to you to stop them. If you don’t do something soon, we’ll be back where we started very, _very,_ quickly. But don’t worry. Someone I know once told me that Evil has a tendency to shoot itself in the foot. You’ll see what I mean soon enough…”

“But...But everyone hates me again...I’m all alone, I don’t have-”

“I get it.” Lujo said bluntly. “They’ve made it so you’re all on your own. I think it’s time for my next trick…” He began to laugh, whatever he was using to alter his voice making it sound nearly demonic. The glass began to shake, the wind whirled, the rubbish in the alley started flying everywhere. Shinji fell to the floor. The howling was deafening. He couldn’t take this, he couldn’t keep going if every day was to be like this, he couldn’t-

“Shinji? Shinji!”

***

In the centre of the city Misato Katsuragi watched as workmen power washed off the blood that caked the walls of the great skyscrapers. There had been a _lot_ of paperwork to do in order to get the lifts rigged up to the towers, and there were many businessmen eager to get back to work. This surprised Misato in a way, she would have thought that most rational businessmen would have fled the city when Sachiel attacked. However, that was none of her concern now. She just had to do this and she could go home. Maybe she could do something for Shinji and Asuka. Though she’d been either drunk or covered in paperwork for the last four days, Misato could tell that... _something_ was up.

Before she could continue this train of thought, however, she noticed that her workmen had stopped. They were all pointing at something, or rather, someone. And with good reason, for Kanta Hadleigh was walking down the street towards her, resplendent in his green military uniform, and with a pair of sunglasses on his face. He gave a wave to some of the workers as he passed them. How was this man ever friends with the Commander?

“ **Ah, Major Katsuragi. I see you’re making progress on the cleanup job. Such a mess...** ” His voice boomed along the street, giving the whirring lifts a run for their money.

“Field Marshal, this is unexpected.” Misato said, with a quick salute.

“ **Oh, I just like to see what dear Gendo’s got you all doing.** ” he said, gazing at the blood now falling into the street, ready to be mopped into the drains. “ **He’s been avoiding me all week. I mean, you’ve worked with him too.** ”

“Indeed I have.”

There was a small wind. Kanta turned back to Misato. “ **I do hope the Cadets are getting on well at that school. I thought it best for them to mingle with people their age. Have Ikari or Soryu said anything?** ”

“Oh, my, no! Shinji’s much too shy and Asuka’s far too proud for that. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“ **I get it. I’ve heard several things from the Cadets themselves, if you’re interested.** ”

“Oh?” Misato raised an eyebrow. “And what sort of things are those?”

“ **That apparently, one of my Cadets, Archie Richardson, lovely boy, strong swimmer, wants to take Miss Soryu to that carnival up North.** ”

“Oh, wonderful! It’s nice to hear she isn’t treating all boys like dirt.” she said carelessly, yet within her head a worried thought knocked about. _Shinji._ He had it bad for Asuka, Misato knew it, and now she was very nervous about just how he was going to react. But Hadleigh was saying something again.

“ **Quite, quite. I’ve read her file, after all. If the Angels do keep attacking, we could well be here for months, so, who knows what might happen?** ”

“Who knows…”Misato repeated. “And... do you know anything about Shinji?”

Misato didn’t see it, but Kanta’s smile very very marginally shrank. “ **Oh, he’s doing just fine. Some people, I think, like being alone. Much like Thomas Igor.** ”

“Ah, you’re so right.”

Hadleigh smirked. “ **Indeed. Best they’re left alone. Let them handle themselves.** ”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“ **Well, I’m sure you have a lot to be doing today. Let me know if Shinji says anything, would you? Good day.** ” With that, he turned away. Misato smiled to herself. Part of her started to wonder what things would be like if a nice guy like Kanta was in charge...she then began to wonder an awful lot more about him. Misato was happy, lost in her own thoughts, so much so that she failed to hear the sobbing just a few blocks away.

Kanta didn’t look back as he went down the travelator to the Geofront. He was too busy looking through three certain files. If he had, he would have noticed an irritated man in glasses storm past him.

***

Gendo Ikari had been having a _very rough week._ First and foremost, Kanta Hadleigh was content to follow him around everywhere, not giving him a moment’s peace. Secondly, he had the NERV’s entire staff fawning over him, Ritsuko Akagi included. It was as if the world was focused on reminding him how little power he had over him. Thirdly, he had let his Cadets loose into Tokyo-3, to do who knows what. But what irritated Gendo the most was that Kanta had taken it upon himself to remind Rei Ayanami to take her pills. As far as Gendo was concerned, that made her compromised. All around him people talked about nothing about Kanta, even though he had only been here four days and had done nothing of note. Come to think of it, he had done nothing at all. No great thefts had occurred. No coups, no strikes, no rising up, nothing.

It felt like Gendo was missing a very important piece of the puzzle, that Kanta was operating everywhere he wasn’t looking. It didn’t help, therefore, that Kanta kept trying to speak to Gendo privately. But he wasn’t buying that for a second. It got to a point that on Friday, he couldn’t stand the constant talk anymore. As a result, he left the Geofront for his lunch. Even Fuyutsuki was surprised by this, but Gendo told him that he would be fine, and he would not be long. As he left the Geofront, he realised how little of the city he recognised. He spent so much time in the Geofront that the surface level had become far more alien.

On his way out, much to his annoyance, he passed Kanta. He was heavily invested in a UN file. Gendo recognised it instantly. He would have pressed as to how he had got his hands on such files, but he really, _really_ didn’t want to talk to Kanta. Not just out of personal feeling, but of knowledge of just what Kanta would do. Stepping outside, he saw Major Katsuragi further down the road. Gendo took a sharp left-turn. He could tell that Kanta had been at work. _Again._ It pained him to know there was nothing he could do. They’d be in that state for hours, at least. He’d learned that well.

The Commander found himself walking along the city streets, quiet as a result of everyone being at work. Privately, he allowed himself to think. He, as Commander of NERV, had to be aware of everything that went on in Tokyo-3. Kanta Hadleigh hindered his ability to do this. This was probably why SEELE let him come to this city in the first place. They clearly wanted to curb his power somewhat. But using Hadleigh? Were they that desperate to curb him? His thoughts moved along as Gendo crossed towards the city centre. He had read the transcript of his son’s interview with the Human Instrumentality Committee, and knew what he had told them there. However, he had also seen the CCTV footage where he had told Pilot Soryu about a multitude of other details that he failed to mention to the Committee. The alternate city. The winged beast. The… yes, even the giant penguin. He was convinced that Kanta had something to do with it.

He would have kept walking along, to try and find somewhere to sit, but he was stopped when a rush of wind came out of an alleyway, blowing out various bits of rubbish. Gendo gazed down the alleyway, and was surprised to find his son on the floor. The tiniest hint of a fatherly instinct suddenly flared to life as Gendo walked forward. His son was covering his eyes, and the streaks along his face clearly showed he had been crying. He didn’t seem to notice his father was there. The commander bent down and moved his hand forward, but stopped before touching him. Out of everything that had happened this week, this was making him the angriest. He had nothing left to lose. Gendo Ikari tried to get through to his son.

“Shinji? Shinji!” 

***

Very suddenly, the neurons in Shinji’s brain were jolted into life by something. A distant memory, times long gone, and yet here and now. Slowly, he moved his hands from his eyes, allowing sunlight to fill his vision for a moment. The wind had gone. Lujo’s voice was no longer omnipresent. The neon signs had stopped flickering. But what really grabbed Shinji’s attention was the presence of his father, his eyes wider than he had ever seen them. Shinji practically jumped out of his skin, moving back sharply.

“Wh...wh...what are you...Father?” he stammered.

“Get up, quickly.” He said, bluntly, before deciding to add, “Are you alright?”

“I...No, I’m not.” Shinji said, surprised at his own honesty. He’d done it now. “I mean, I should be at school, I-”

“Shinji. Please answer my questions honestly.”

He nodded. Shinji had no idea what had got into his father but right now he preferred it to whatever torture awaited him in class 2-A. “Alright, Father.” he said, getting to his feet.

“What were you doing here?” Gendo asked.

“I was…” Shinji sighed. “I was crying. There, I said it.”

“Why?”

“Well...Oh, it’s nothing really, just me overreacting and-”

“Why?” his father asked again. Shinji made eye contact with the man. There was something different about him. Shinji recognised his face. It was one Asuka wore a lot: mild irritation. Though, it didn’t feel like he was irritated at him. At the same time, there was a hint of concern in his voice. It made Shinji worried. Just what had got his father so nervous?  
“It’s...the Cadets.” Gendo’s eyes widened at this. Shinji continued. “They’ve...well, they’ve infiltrated the damn school, keeping us in our cliques. They’ve done something to Thomas, got Asuka pissed off at me for no reason, done something to Ayanami-”

“What?”

“I...I don’t know! I thought that was you! She was kinda active on Monday, but she’s got more and more passive as the week’s gone on!” 

“You thought that this...change was because of me?” he said, now looking confused.

Shinji didn’t think about how his father might just tell SEELE everything he knew. Right now he needed to vent his anger, and it just so happened his father was around to listen.

“Well, yeah! You’re the one who never gave her a life, who turned her into an unfeeling machine! It’s like she’s got Stockholm Syndrome!”

Gendo just looked at him for a second. “And what about yourself and Pilot Soryu?”

That caught Shinji off guard. Was that...his father making a snide remark about his and Asuka’s relationship? No, it couldn’t be that.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“You seemed...amicable...over the weekend.” explained Gendo. “Am I to assume something happened?”

“I...I dunno...It was like, one day she was back to being angry at me. I don’t get how they did it, but they did. They fucked us up.” Shinji found his tear ducts filling again. _No, not now, not in front of Father…_

“I...I think they have the same powers as Kanta.” he said finally. “Whatever that means…”

Gendo stepped forward. It took everything for Shinji not to step back. Shinji had never been good at reading people, but he somehow knew that Gendo was finding this very difficult. Perhaps that was because Shinji found it difficult too.

“Shinji...Kanta is indeed behind all of this.” he stated bluntly. “He and his Cadets are using their powers to stifle NERV and its EVA pilots, and in turn are doing something to all of Tokyo-3. Including you.”

“Well, that’s great to hear. I was starting to think I was going crazy.” said Shinji. “Now, I really need to-”  
“There’s a reason they’re doing this. Something’s happened. We believe...that an Angel will be here in the next few days.”

Shinji stopped in his tracks. _That’s impossible...Bardiel isn’t due for weeks!_ A flurry of thoughts rushed through his head.

“Trust me, Shinji. I am surprised by this too. If we can get to NERV HQ, then I can show you just how this has happened.”

Part of Shinji wanted to go with his father, but another part of him wanted something else entirely.

“Father...I need to help my friends. I need to get Asuka, Rei, Thomas, and everyone else out of whatever the Cadets have put them in. And I need to do it now.”

“Shinji.” His father’s cold gaze was starting to return. “We must defeat the Angel. Anything else risks Third Impact.”

“You said we had a few days before it shows up.”

“That might very well change.” Gendo brought up his suitcase and opened it, taking out a file marked with the NERV emblem. He handed it to Shinji, who flipped it open. Within it were several infrared maps of Tokyo-3, taken over the past week. What Shinji saw shocked him.

On Monday the city was yellow.

On Tuesday it was yellowy-orange.

On Wednesday it was starting to go red.

On Thursday it was a deep crimson.

Today, Friday, it was glowing _white._

And then, below Tokyo-3, near Lake Ashi, another white spot. Rising towards the top, faster with every passing day.

“Infrared doesn’t go to white…” Shinji thought aloud, looking over the pictures. “But what does that mean?”

Gendo raised an eyebrow. “What does it tell you?”

Was this a test? Shinji looked over the images again. “As the week went on, the signature increased...you think that this is because of the Cadets?”

“It sounds unlikely at first.” admitted his father, leaning in slightly to see the infrared pictures. “But there’s a crucial piece of evidence.”

“The particles detected here were discovered in a laboratory in London ten years ago. The scientists there referred to them as C-Particles. The chief scientist behind that experiment was...Kanta Hadleigh.” he said with a sigh.

“C-Particles?” Shinji pulled a smaller piece of paper out, describing them. It was heavily redacted.

“I’ve wondered if it was a coincidence. But now I know his Cadets are using their powers for the same purpose, it’s clear that Kanta is behind them. Have a look at the epicentres.” he ordered, pointing at the “Friday” image. Shinji gazed at it for a moment. Then it hit him.

“Father...one of the epicentres...there’s a load of C-Particles at my school!” Shinji scanned the map of the city. Rei’s apartment, Shinji’s apartment, the Geofront tunnels, and interestingly enough, the splotches of blood on the Tokyo skyline. But there was one epicentre that Shinji didn’t immediately recognise. Gendo noticed him pointing at it.

“Yes, that one makes sense too. That’s the British Embassy.” he stated.

“Well, there it is! Proof!” Shinji said suddenly, snapping the book shut. “But...what does this have to do with the angel?”

“We aren’t sure that it’s an Angel.” said Gendo, taking back the file from his son. “It’s...difficult to explain here.”

“Wait…” something had popped into Shinji’s head. “These C-Particles...are they dangerous?”

“We...aren’t sure of that either…” said Gendo quietly. “Our best guess is that it is the result of....these powers being used, but they appear to be attracting this Angel, if it even is an Angel...”

“Well...What about Thomas? They’ve kept him locked up somewhere! They said he was at the Embassy!” Shinji cried out. It occurred to Shinji that he really, _really_ didn’t want to work with his father. Especially not after Bardiel. Or before it, for that matter.

“Shinji, we have to get back to NERV and find those files before Kanta does.” pointed out Gendo, closing his suitcase.

“No.”

Gendo looked at his son.

“Ok, ok, listen. Think. It’s going to look kinda suspicious if all of a sudden, we’re working together. Kanta would smell us out instantly.” Shinji said. His father, for once in his life, looked surprised.

“You’re right. In fact, it’s better this way. I can get the files we need, while you can try and find Thomas.” Gendo reached into his pocket and revealed a small earpiece in his gloved hand. “We can stay in contact with this. It’s too small to be noticed. Not even the Magi can track it.”

Shinji took the thing and nestled it in his right ear. Mentally, he was almost excited. For the past four days, he had thought he was alone in a world gone mad. Now he had an ally, but he hadn’t expected one to come in the form of his father. Still, it was better than nothing. Besides, thanks to him, he now knew of C-Particles, and had an upper hand over both the Cadets and Kanta. But, at the same time...

“Father… I...I don’t know if I can do this. I mean, this is the British Embassy we’re talking about.”

“I’m afraid we have no choice. However, if you do know anyone who hasn’t been affected by Kanta, it would be best to inform them.”

Shinji thought for a moment. Then he smiled.

“Don’t worry, father. I know just the guy.”

He looked at Gendo for a moment, waiting for a reaction. It came.

“You don’t mean…”

“Father…”

A few minutes later, Gendo and Shinji Ikari left the alleyway and moved out of the city centre. There were a few others out on their lunch, but it was still relatively quiet. Shinji had never seen it like this. It was usually packed with people going to and fro. He was outside it all, and it felt liberating to say it. Suddenly, he was stopped by one of Gendo’s white gloves. Behind the corner were Misato and her workmen, putting away various lifts and such they had used to clean the skyscrapers.

“Kanta’s already been here.” Gendo practically spat the man’s name. “Best to be quiet.”

They silently slipped by, Shinji watching as his ward chatted happily with the workmen. Even from here, it just looked... _off._

“Father...are you going to tell me why you stopped working with Kanta?” Shinji whispered as they crossed the road.

“If you must know…” Gendo explained, leading Shinji away from any more NERV men. “We used to be friends. Good friends. Even then, he had a certain way with people. We were opposites, in a way.”

“So I’ve noticed.” remarked Shinji in a low voice.

“After Second Impact, I saw him less. When NERV started, he began his experiments. It was...soon after...our separation...that I realised just what he had been planning.” The anger in Gendo’s voice had returned. “He had found...somehow, he never published his work...that humans could somehow receive... abilities. He had tested himself and, according to him, it was a resounding success.”

Shinji gazed at his father, unsure where this was going. “And he told you?”

“He did more. I remember it well. He took me into the city, and convinced random people to do all sorts of things. It was incredible. And then… he offered me this power.”

“I considered it. I really did. I was lucky...I felt it necessary to tell him that I’d think about it. I dread to think what would have happened if I blindly agreed…”

“Why?”

“Because I soon discovered that this testing...changed people. Kanta became more self-centred, and started using this power for...less ethical reasons. He could make people do...quite literally anything. I found out, and was horrified. He told me I ‘lacked true vision’. I told him he’d gone too far, and cut ties with him.”

Shinji didn’t think his father would tell him what Kanta did. A number of options ran through his head, each reason enough to never see someone again.

“But that isn’t everything. The first person he had tried his “experiment” on...it made them lose all sense of paranoia. They did things without consequence. To this day, they have to watch everything they do and take medication, so they don’t slip into an impulsive...well, rampage.”

A question burned in Shinji’s mind. “Who were they?”

“You know them well. He saved your life just last week.”

They walked in silence for the rest of their journey. Eventually, they found themselves back at the school.

“What are we doing back here?” Shinji asked. “The Cadets will-”

“Do not worry.” Gendo interrupted, looking through the fencing. “You said we would need allies. I believe you are right.” There, alone by a tree, was Rei Ayanami, just...sitting there. It made Shinji writhe with anger.

“What do I do?” he asked.

“Go and tell her to help you.” he said. Shinji looked at him.

“Is...is that it?! She’ll never believe me! She’s...whatever you do to her, she’s in one of her peaks!”

Gendo scowled. “I can’t be seen here. The Cadets will report it immediately.” Suddenly, his eyes widened. “Of course. If she refuses, place your earpiece in her ear. I can explain from there.”

Shinji nodded. He didn’t like it, but his father was right. They were going to need all the help they could get. As he walked towards her, he thought about what he now knew. His memory was...hazy...regarding what had happened involving Rei. He remembered Armisael. He remembered the tank of Rei Ayanamis. He remembered the third Rei, who treated him like a stranger. He couldn’t bear to go through that again. And now, he was at risk of losing everything. Leliel’s words echoed in his mind.

“ _Face it. You’ll end up doing what you did last time. You’re both pathetic._ ”

But after that, Lujo, that strange magician, his voice came through:

“ _Evil has a tendency to shoot itself in the foot._ ”

Lujo was right. It was almost funny, in a way. If they had decided to include Shinji, their plan, whatever that was, would be completely secure. But no. They’d made him suffer. And now...yes, Shinji could admit it to himself. He wanted revenge.

At this point, Rei noticed Shinji. She looked at him, her red eyes dark and murky.

“Oh...Pilot Ikari…”

“Ayanami.” Shinji took a deep breath. He had to fight fire with fire, he thought, and that meant staying calm. “Ayanami, I need your help.”

Rei looked at him. “What do you require?”

“I need you to come with me to the British Embassy and-”

Suddenly, the bell rang, and people around them started to move back into the school.

“I apologise, but I am afraid we must go to class now.” she mumbled, standing up.

“Rei, we can’t. We need to go now.”

“Pilot Ikari, the rules state that we must be at class at the correct time, theref-”

“Rei, Thomas is in danger!” Shinji said, now slightly irritated.

“He is none of my concern.” Rei said, now looking sour. She turned to leave, but Shinji caught her arm.

“Rei, my father wants you to help me.”

At this, the bluenette twisted round and broke Shinji’s grip, now looking as upset as the time she slapped him. In fact, it looked like she was about to try again.

“This...This cannot be true. Commander Ikari has not ordered me to help you. If he had, he would have told me directly.”  
“But he can’t do that right now. The Cadets would see him, and they’d tell Kanta.” Shinji calmed himself down. He turned and pointed at the school gate. “Look, he’s just out there, hiding from them. Come on, he can tell you himself.”

Rei hesitated. “You...I...I do not believe you.”

“Ayanami, please, I can’t do this alone.” pleaded Shinji, surprising himself. “The Cadets are planning something....we need Thomas to fight it.”

“He is one of them.” spat Rei.

“He really isn’t!” cried Shinji. What had happened between those two? They were fine on Monday, but now…

“Fine, I’m not asking you to trust Thomas. I’m not even asking you to trust my father. Please, Rei, you have to trust me.”

He held out his hand. Rei looked at it for what felt like an age. Shinji could see her debating the subject in her head. A cicada chirped behind them. Eventually, she took his hand.

“Shinji. I shall trust you.”

“Thank you, Rei.”

Slowly, Shinji guided Rei toward the gate. She looked nervous, like her teacher would jump out of nowhere and punish her for lateness. Her face was stuck, like a deer in the headlights. Shinji tightened his grip on her pale hand. She relaxed slightly. They left the school grounds and turned down the road.

“Shinji, I do not see him anywhere, I-”

“That is the point of hiding, Rei.”

For the first time, Rei jumped out of her skin. Gendo Ikari moved out of the alleyway he had been in.

“You did well, Shinji. Those workers came past here, and they would have told Kanta if they had seen me.”

Rei looked stunned. “C-Commander...I...You really did…I mean...”

“Correct, Rei. I am indeed asking you to aid Shinji Ikari. I will forgive your hesitance, considering the unorthodox method in which this order was presented.”

“Yes. Thank You. I apologise profusely, Commander.” blurted out Rei.

“Now we’re here,” cut in Shinji, “We need to get to Thomas. He’s the only one who can help us.”

“I agree.” replied Gendo. “Rei, you and Shinji shall go to the British Embassy and find a way to get to Thomas. Do you understand?”

The two teenagers nodded. “What about you?” Shinji asked.

“I shall head to NERV HQ, and hopefully shall find some answers there.” he said, clutching his suitcase. Best to move quickly. Remember, I’ll contact you if need be.”

The two started towards the Embassy, but-

“Shinji!” his father called out.

“Yes?” he cried back.

The two looked at each other. “Good luck.” Gendo said.

“You too.”

They walked past the school. Through the fence, Shinji saw the blonde hair of Archie Richardson, and a couple of other Cadets. They looked awfully smug about something, but Shinji didn’t care. As far as he was concerned, the tables were finally starting to turn.

There was only one way Shinji could describe the British Embassy. _Evil._ Unlike the other towers that surrounded it, its windows were tinted black, the only colour being a Union Jack on the top left of the building. It was incredibly foreboding. Privately, Shinji thought about everything he had heard today. As he explained the situation to Rei, he thought about what the cause of Kanta’s powers could be. It suddenly hit him just as they came into the dim reception of the Embassy.

“Um, hello, could we possibly see Thomas Igor? We were told he was here.”

The woman at the reception looked at the two teenagers. It looked like she wasn’t expecting to do anywork that day.

“One second, please wait here you two.” she said quickly, before moving out towards a door. Shinji felt an overwhelming urge to put his ear against it. Surprisingly, Rei did the same.

“What do you mean, they’re out there?!” cried out a man Shinji didn’t recognise.

“Ayanami, and that Ikari kid, they want to speak to Thomas!” responded the receptionist.

“Damn it! They told us not to worry! I-I oughta call the Field Marshal, he’ll know what to do.”

Shinji and Rei looked at each other, both worried.

“What do we do?” Shinji asked.

“Hang on.” said Rei. She took a deep breath, and looked around the reception. Her eyes landed on a small electrical box, whose wires led into the other room. Rei kicked it inward.

“What are you doing?!” whispered Shinji as to not draw attention.

“Just wait.” replied Rei cryptically.

After a few minutes, the receptionist returned. “We’re just having technical difficulties. Maybe come back tomorrow?” she said sweetly. After both nodded slowly, she ran back into the outer room. With that, Shinji and Rei scrambled up the stairs to the left. As they got to the first floor, they found a map near the lifts.

“Okay, okay…” muttered Shinji, unfolding the piece of paper. “Says here that the sleeping quarters are on the fifth floor. Guess we should start there.”

Rei nodded, calling down the lift. The two of them got in, Shinji leaning on the railings in the back, Rei staring at the doors.

“Rei, are you alright? You seem...preoccupied.” Shinji said, staring at the back of her head.

“I am fine. I am merely processing the information you gave me.” she said. “Also… I am sorry that I did not trust you.”

“It’s alright Rei. I doubt Asuka would have believed me either.”

“That goes without saying.” she responded, much to the surprise of Shinji, who found himself chuckling. He was going to ask what happened over this week, but the lift doors opened before he could, and Rei stepped out. It was only four floors, after all.

Shinji looked down the corridor. Each of the doors had a number on it, from 1 down to 18, but number 13 had a “Do not Disturb” sign on it. This had to be it. Shinji moved towards it, but Rei stopped before getting to the door.

“Rei what’s wrong?” Shinji asked as he knocked on the door. The bluenette was silent. She seemed to be fearing something, and seemed to be trying to make herself as small as possible. Then, a voice came from within the door.

“Wh-who is it? Archie, if it’s you, I’m sorry, ok? I’m sorry I broke ranks, alright?!”

Shinji had heard enough. He opened the door. Rei moved forward, as if trying to stop him. The door opened.

Inside the cold, dark room was one occupant. Even in this light, Shinji could see it. His left cheek, and his entire left arm, were completely covered in scratches. But Thomas Igor wasn’t looking at Shinji. He was looking behind him.

“Ayanami...what are you…”

“...Thomas…I’m so, so, sorry…”

Shinji looked between the two. He didn’t want to believe it.


	9. Legitimacy Of Authority, Part 1

Neon Exodus Evangelion 

Volume 1: The Return of Evangelion 

Chapter 9: Legitimacy Of Authority, Part 1 

_It was Tuesday. Rei Ayanami was walking to school. A faint memory of last night played in her head, where she had been told to take her pills again. This did not bother her, she did not even remember who had come to tell her to do it, but she did not mind. As she walked towards the school, she passed Thomas Igor. The smile he usually had was gone. He was surrounded by some of the Cadets, who were talking about something that Rei tuned out. The green-haired boy gave a small wave, and an even smaller smile. Rei merely nodded, and walked into school._

_It was Wednesday. Thomas was still walking around with the Cadets. Something had changed about the class, Rei thought, people seemed to be talking to each other less. Furthermore, a few of the female students had undone the top buttons of their blouses. Rei didn’t care why they had done this, but she noticed it nonetheless. Her thinking was interrupted, however, by Shinji Ikari._

_“Um...Ayanami? Are you...feeling alright? You seem...distant.”_

_“I am perfectly average, Pilot Ikari.”_

_And that was that._

_It was Thursday. Rei had left her apartment when she saw Thomas nearby, staring at the city. He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t singing. His red eyes were in a way which Rei didn’t recognise. Was that...anger?_

_“Thomas?”_

_“Rei, we need to talk. Quickly. I don’t know how much time we have.” he said, turning to face her._

_“I am afraid we need to get to sc-”_ _  
_ _“That doesn’t matter. This is more important.” he snapped._

_Rei paused. “Very well. What is it you want to say?”_

_“The city’s in danger. The Cadets are planning something. I need you to speak to Pilot Soryu and start being her friend.”_

_“I do not get on well with her.”_

_“I’m aware. But you need to put that aside now. You need to make up with her.”_

_Rei stared at the boy. Who was he to tell him what to do? “Why?”_

_Thomas sighed. “The Cadets want to do something to her. Make her feel worse. Cause her to spiral.”_ _  
_ _“What occurs to Pilot Soryu is none of my business.”_

_Thomas scowled. “Of course it’s your business. If Asuka spirals, your ability to combat the Angels is severely limited. This is why-”_

_“I do not get on well with-”_ _  
_ _“Rei.” Thomas clenched his fists and moved forward. “I’ve had a rough week. So just tell me. Why? Why don’t you like her?”_

_Rei returned his scowl. How was this his business? “She does not like me.”_

_“Why?” he asked again. Rei subconsciously noted that his A.T. field was growing._

_“I ignored her when she asked me about...boys. Because they are irrelevant to me and irrelevant to the fight against the Angels.”_

_“Then...you really should apologise, Ayanami.”_

_A flicker of anger flared in Rei’s mind. “Why? She is the one who has been-”_

_“But you started it. You made it clear to her you didn’t want anything to do to her. You’re in the wrong. What on earth did you expect to happen?”_

_At this, Rei swiped at the boy’s face. He staggered back, clutching his cheek. “I sense I’ve touched a nerve. English English…”_

_“I am not in the wrong.” she stated bluntly._

_“Oh, yes you are.” Thomas growled back. “You really,_ **_really,_ ** _are…”_

_Rei turned to leave. “I do not have to listen to you. There are more important things to be done.”_

_“Right. Like what? The doomed Instrumentality Project?”_

_She charged forward, but Thomas was ready, and held out his arm, keeping her from reaching his face. Rei could see the three cuts she had placed on his left cheek. Thomas smirked._

_“You should not have said that.” Rei hissed._

_“I say what I want. That’s what separates me from this subservient cityscape.” Thomas boasted._

_“You think you are better than us?!” she asked, trying to force her way towards him. Their A.T. fields clashed invisibly._

_“I know I’m better than you all. You lot are so,_ **_so_ ** _weak-willed. The Cadets managed to worm their way into your classmates’ lives in just three days! Even yours! You really think this is your own choice?!”_

_Rei grabbed a hold of his left arm and started cutting into it with her nails. Rei moved her arms up and down, as Thomas frantically tried to keep her from him, his teeth gritted together. He backed away, clearly in pain. And yet, he was smiling. And Rei found herself smiling too. What was this feeling? Seeing red always made her upset, but here...._

_“Uff...you’ve gotta be startin’ somethin, huh?” he huffed, clutching his bleeding arm._

_Rei was going to say something, but the smirk from his face suddenly faded. Rei turned around. It was the Cadets. All of them._

_“Well, well! What have we here?!” cried Archie Richardson, his blonde hair catching the sun. “A little quarrel, perhaps?!” Behind him, the sixteen others began to laugh. Rei gazed at them. The rumours were correct. They did have awful teeth._

_“Archie…” Thomas began, still breathing heavily. “Wait…”_

_The two boys glared daggers at each other. “Well, it seems you’ve done a lot of the work for us, Pilot Ayanami.” Archie chuckled, before punching Thomas square in the stomach._

_Rei could only watch as two more boys came forward and dragged Thomas to his feet, insulting him in English. They grabbed hold of his arm and shoulder (Atticus didn’t feel like touching Igor’s wounds) and pulled him away. As the group left, Thomas turned to Rei. He took a deep breath, and then…_

**_“Rei! Defy the laws of nature, and come out alive!”_ **

_He was then silenced by a hit on the head by Archie. Rei saw the group leave, and stood there for a moment, still panting. She looked at her hands. Her nails were covered with blood. She noticed a light bruise on her upper arm. Part of her didn’t care, but another part replayed and re-replayed their fight over and over in her head. The rest of that day, Rei had a splitting headache._

_On Friday, Rei read over her pills. Her head was still in pain. She noticed that some of them had notes on them, saying ‘Do not take if suffering from a headache’. Rei only took the ones that didn’t have that sign on it. That seemed to calm her down. She went through Physics. She went through Geography. She sat down to have lunch. She was unable to get yesterday out of her head.What did Thomas’ words mean? She was so preoccupied, she didn’t notice Shinji walk by her out of the school gate. Near the end of lunch, she saw him walking into school again towards her. She sighed, and concluded that she had no need to think about Thomas anymore._

How wrong she was.

***

“Okay, let me just get this straight.” began Shinji, pacing through room 13 of the fifth floor of the British Embassy. “You two had a fight.”

“Evidently.” said Thomas, gesturing to his cuts.

“But you were interrupted by the Cadets, who beat you up further, and put you here.” he explained.

“Yes. Is this going somewhere?”

Shinji glanced at the green-haired boy, the cuts adorning his cheek and the scratches along his arm. According to his father, Kanta Hadleigh had tested...something...that gave people powers upon Thomas Igor. According to Gendo, Thomas had to take medication to prevent himself losing all sense of self-control. A quick check of the dressing table confirmed this, as Shinji noticed a bottle of pills on the wooden surface.

“Yes, Thomas. And don’t patronise me, because my friends are in danger, and I need your help.” he declared, surprised that he could come up with something like that. Internally, Shinji realised that he needed the nice, friendly Thomas back, and not this cranky, moody mess.

“Fine. What do you want?” he asked.

“First, take your pills. You’re, uh, acting rather irate.”

Thomas glanced at his pills, and for the first time looked surprised. “How do you-”

“I’m not doing this alone. My father is aiding me.” Shinji replied, glancing over to Rei, who had sat silently since telling her story.

“Blimey, things must be bad.” he remarked, swigging down his pill with some water. “That’ll take a few minutes.” he added, before turning to Rei as well. “Oh. You’re probably confused about all of this.”

“A little.” Rei admitted. “Though, I take many more pills than you do.”

“Ah, well, I had guessed, no offence.” he said, his smile returning. “Basically, I have this...issue. I lose self-control. So I need to take my medication to stop myself saying and doing anything and everything that pops into my head.”

“I see.” said Rei quietly. She just stared intently at Thomas’ scratches, then down at her own hands. She frowned.

Shinji sighed, moving towards the closed curtains. Opening them, he saw the city streets from below. The businessmen, now allowed back into the city, were making their way towards wherever they needed to go. He turned back to the other two. Their red eyes were glowing slightly in the dim light. It put Shinji off.

“My first question is this: How do your powers work? Yours, the Cadets’, Kanta’s...how does it work?”

Thomas sat on his bed. “Simply put, Ikari, it’s not just Angels and EVAs who have A.T. fields.”

Shinji smiled. _Of course._ This was a world of A.T. fields, he remembered that from Third Impact, and knew that they were necessary for people to be truly happy. Everyone had an A.T. field, and Kanta had clearly found a way to increase humanity’s capability to use them.

“A.T. fields...so, when Kanta activates his, for instance…” began Shinji  
“Anyone inside the field is basically enthralled. Unless, of course, they have their own A.T. field up.” continued Thomas.   
Shinji nodded. _So Kanta has a weakness..._

“Okay. Thomas, we need to know what the Cadets are up to, and why they’re attracting an Angel to Tokyo-3.” he said finally.

Thomas took a deep breath. “They’ll get me for this. They told me not to take my pills or they’d hurt you all. That’s why I was so silent.”

Rei nodded. “Why have they infiltrated class 2-A’s cliques?” she asked.

“Well, they believe that it’ll give them more power, and, somehow, the ability to control what the next Angel does. I don’t get why, but they’ve called it... **Gabriel**.”

Shinji’s eyes widened. Somehow, he instinctively _knew_ that Thomas wasn’t talking about Bardiel under a new name. No, this was something new. But how was that possible? What had he said to Leliel which required the creation of a whole new Angel?”

“I don’t know what their final plan is, they never told me, but…” He looked up at Shinji. “It involves Asuka.”

“Of course!” Rei chirped suddenly, causing the two boys to turn to her. “You weren’t there for it, but Archie Richardson asked Pilot Soryu to accompany him to the carnival tonight.”

Shinji felt a twinge of Anger. “I’m sorry, _what?!_ ”

“Shinji, calm down.” said Thomas, moving towards him. “Now, I understand you’re a little peeved at them going on a date, and-”

“A _little?_ ” Shinji yelled. “And how is it a date?! They’ve known each other for four days!”

“But we need to focus on the Angel.” Thomas explained. “Besides, what can we do? What good would interrupting their date do?”  
“Don’t call it a date!”

Thomas grimaced. Rei had to cover her mouth to hide her smile. Suddenly, the ring of the lift was heard. Shinji, Rei and Thomas heard footsteps.

“ _Oh, Greeenieee! A couple of us have come home early! Wanna guess what for?!_ ”

***

The travelator came to a halt. Gendo Ikari got out of his car, suitcase in hand, and headed towards the door. He passed by two guards talking about Kanta. He sighed. This was going to be difficult. Stepping out into the Geofront, he headed directly towards NERV HQ, passing by the fountains and shrubberies as he did so. As he headed down the main stretch towards the great pyramid, he looked to and fro to make sure that Kanta wasn’t going to spring up behind him. Part of him wondered about Shinji. He hadn’t expected to have him as an ally, quite the opposite, in fact. And yet, he was silently glad to have him there. _Father and son, working together. For once._ It was a great motivator, he admitted to himself. As he made his way into NERV HQ, he found himself hoping Yui could see them. He hadn’t hoped that for the past eleven years.

Gendo kept on towards the bridge, hoping desperately not to be interrupted. Before he could get there, however, he found himself blocked by a group of NERV officials on their lunch break. They hadn’t noticed him yet, and Gendo picked up a little of what they were saying:

“-and, and get this: apparently, the Field Marshal once crept into a war boat and sunk it single-handedly!”

“Man, that guy is cool. He leads a secret department, has a Concorde…”  
“Nice if he was in charge around here. The Angels wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Yeah, he’d be-”  
  


The group turned around, suddenly noticing Gendo Ikari. They silently bowed their heads and moved out of the way. It was nice, Gendo thought, to know Kanta hadn’t completely annihilated his authority. But a grab for leadership was coming. He could sense it. Maybe he should have been less cold...but he doubted he could have got away with that. There was something about this place, he thought, that made people feel... _low._ Gendo dismissed this superstition as he came to the door to the bridge.

Opening the door, Gendo looked to the screens that adorned the wall. Then he turned to the Magi supercomputers on his right. He winced, remembering the things that had happened to make those three systems. His train of thought suddenly stopped, however, when he noticed a rustling noise coming from under one of the computers. He froze, clutching the suitcase in his hands. He looked at his right gloved hand. Under it, he knew exactly what sort of power existed. His thoughts flurried as to how to protect it. Slowly, quietly, he stepped towards the noise, waiting to strike. He turned the corner, and instantly relaxed. Under one of the Magi, on her knees, working on a laptop, was Lieutenant Maya Ibuki.

“Eep! Commander Ikari! I, um, I-” she stammered, falling backwards slightly.

“Lieutenant, what are you-”

“Oh, um, well…” she began, pulling herself out under the desk, “There was, um, a thing that needed doing, and, uh…”

“Lieutenant, is it possible you were under there in order to hide from the other NERV officials?” he asked

Maya’s face froze. “Uhh...umm…”

At this point, a thought popped into Gendo’s head. “Were you...not interested in what the others were talking about?”

“Um...well...I suppose so, yeah-I mean, yes sir, that’s correct.” she replied. The two were silent, until Maya spoke again suddenly. “Commander, would you know where Se- um, Doctor Akagi would be?”

Gendo nodded. “Herself and Vice Commander Fuyutsuki are currently making a report to the UN regarding Units 03 and 04.”

“I see…” Maya muttered, frowning.

If Maya was feeling awkward in this situation, Gendo felt it far worse, even if he never showed it. He knew that out of his entire staff, Maya Ibuki was by far the most upbeat and optimistic. He also knew that she enjoyed time spent with Ritsuko Akagi. This was something he and Maya could both agree on, even if in different ways. But then, Gendo noticed something, very, _very_ important.

“Lieutenant...you haven’t mentioned Kanta once.” he said out loud.

“Um...well, yeah… I guess not.” Maya now looked rather confused.

“But...has he talked to you?” he asked, stepping forward.

“I mean, yeah, once, on Wednesday.” she said, unsure where this was going.

Gendo’s eyes widened. _She’d heard his speech. She’d spoken to him. And yet..._ it didn’t make any sense. But Gendo couldn’t quite fully believe it yet. He had to press this further.

“Lieutenant...what did you think of Kanta Hadleigh?”

“Well...he’s nice enough, but a little full of himself, I think.” she said calmly. “When she spoke to me and Sen-um, Dr Akagi , he acted like he owned the laboratory. But she didn’t seem to mind…”

Gendo couldn’t believe what he was hearing. _She just criticised Hadleigh. She had resisted King Kanta! How on earth was this possible?!_ He looked at Maya. She was clearly waiting for a reply.

“Very well. Thank you for that, Lieutenant. You can stay here. I just need to access the main computer, and may need your assistance.” he said.

“Oh! Um, thank you, Commander.” she chirped, clearly surprised by this. Gendo nodded, and headed up to his seat. After a few seconds, Maya returned under the desk to get her laptop, and started working _at_ the desk.

A few feet above her, at the main command centre, Gendo sat down. His head was full of theories and ideas. _How had she done it? How had_ **_she_ ** _done it?_ He got the feeling that Maya hadn’t resisted him on purpose, but somehow, her nature had allowed her to do so. Gendo thought back. One thing he had determined about Kanta’s powers was that they worked differently for women than they did for men. Or at least, he used them differently for men and women. For males, they found themselves unbearably jealous of him, and almost view him as a father figure. For females, they become...infatuated. This was the aspect of Kanta’s powers that Gendo found the most abhorrent. But this hadn’t happened to the young Lieutenant at all. A very interesting thought suddenly struck Gendo. _Ibuki did spend an awful lot of time around Ritsuko...no, it couldn’t be that. Could it?_

Suddenly, the computer screen flashed up. Gendo set out looking for the files he wanted, glaring at the locked doors to the command centre as he did so. He did not want to be interrupted. He navigated towards the files he was after. _C-Particles._ Luckily, as Commander, he was on par with a Field Marshal in terms of rank. Not only this, but Kanta had no way of influencing the Magi’s decision making. He had free access to the files now. He opened the file, and started reading Kanta’s notes.

_C-Particles, short for Change-Particles, are released when a living human utilises an A.T. Field, specifically when the laws of nature are changed.These laws include Free Will, Time and Space, and Life and Death. They are not released by Evangelion (update: 03/15: C-Particles are also not released by Angels, as demonstrated by data received from Sachiel). They have so far proven harmless to humans, however they appear to have an ability to disrupt certain energies. This has been seen in Experiment 2/9/06, wherein a large concentration of C-Particles caused eighteen consecutive lightning strikes in a one-foot radius. The C-Particles were then destroyed after being struck._

_(Update 11/7/15: After tests involving the Angel Israfel, it appears that Angels are attracted towards C-Particles.)_

_Concluding Remarks: The true danger of C-Particles is that they can carry currents. If an A.T. field is ever used offensively, it is likely that all surrounding C-Particles will be synthesised. If this ever was to occur in Tokyo-3, due to the existence of (REDACTED), it is likely that (REDACTED) will be created and the (REDACTED) of the (REDACTED) will begin to (REDACTED), which could result in (REDACTED) and a (REDACTED), which would be truly (REDACTED)._

Gendo stared at the screen for a few moments. All of this information was key to beating Kanta’s plan, whatever that was, but it confirmed his suspicions. The Angel was indeed being attracted to Tokyo-3. Suddenly, there was a beeping from Maya Ibuki’s laptop.

“Um, Commander, sir! There’s...It’s the scanners! They’ve picked something up!”

Gendo raced down towards her. Looking at her laptop, it was clear that the scanners had detected whatever was lurking under Tokyo-3’s surface. But…

“Lieutenant, did you heighten the scan’s capability?” he asked, looking up at her.

“Um, yes! I was worried that something had slipped through! See, the new British sensors are great, but they have several blind spots, so I used our sensors and ours in tandem!”

Together, the two countries’ sensors were able to track the object. It was approaching the surface. Rapidly.

“We need to find out if that thing is an Angel or not.” Gendo decided. This was bad. It wasn’t just that Kanta had attempted to sabotage their defence systems, but that this Angel, if it was an Angel, _had not been predicted by the Dead Sea Scrolls._ There was only one thing for it. And Gendo really, really didn’t want to do it, but-

“Commander! Blood type: Blue! It’s an Angel!” she called out, glaring at the screen. “Though...it’s impossibly small….”

“What?” Gendo looked at the scanner screen. Maya pressed a few buttons, and the great holographic map appeared. From here, it was obvious. The Angel was surrounded by an A.T. field, upon which were a few C-Particles. The Angel itself, however, represented by a white dot, was tiny. According to the scan, it couldn’t be larger than half a centimetre thick.

“Sir, I think I know why it’s so small. It doesn’t _have_ a body. It’s _lightning._ A tiny spark of electricity...with a mind of its own.”

***

Thomas froze on the spot. “Oh no.” he muttered. Shinji moved closer to Rei. Thomas looked at them both. “It’s Atticus. He’s one of the worst.”

“Come on, Greenie! Myself and Victoria and Arnold _need_ you! It’s time we got Gabriel up and out!” Atticus shrieked.

“You need to hide. Now.” snapped Thomas, gesturing to the wardrobe. Rei got up to hide there, but Shinji stopped her.

“No. I’m not running away. We need to stop the Angel, right?” he asked. Thomas nodded at him.

“Shinji, these people are trained with their A.T. fields. They can literally block punches by thinking.” he explained, looking nervously at the door.

“Then we do not fight them.” announced Rei, causing the two boys to turn towards her. “But, we do not run away either…”

“Remember, we must make ourselves as small as possible.” Rei whispered.

“Story of my life…” muttered Shinji.

“That’s...sort of sad...bloody hell…” responded Thomas.

“Shush!” said Rei. There was a knocking at the door.

A few seconds later, the door was kicked open, and Atticus, Arnold and Victoria stepped into the room.

“ _English! English English English!”_ he barked, confused by the lack of a tall, green-haired teenager with cuts along his left side. The three began looking around, until Arnold noticed the open window.

“Look!” he cried, pointing at the billowing curtain. The three scrambled to the windowsill.

“Impossible.” said Victoria, not noticing the three teenagers moving out of the wardrobe behind them.

“They can’t have gone out here.” declared Atticus. “It’s too high. There’s no ladder, or rope, or anything. The only way out is through the-”

_Click._ The three Cadets spun around on the spot. The door they had kicked open was now locked shut, but the wardrobe was wide open.

“How the hell did that work?!” yelled Shinji, gazing at the door to room number 13, which was now being knocked on furiously by the Cadets.

“We made our A.T. fields miniscule, so we were more difficult to notice.” explained Rei, gazing at Thomas, who was pushing a large chest of drawers.

“Thomas, you git! Let us out! _English English English!_ ” Atticus yelled over the drawers being pushed over the floor

“Here, help me push this!” the green-haired boy wheezed, moving the furniture down the corridor. At once, Rei and Shinji moved around and helped him push the thing in front of the door. The knocking intensified.

“Greenie! You arse! You’ve ruined everything!” Arnold growled.

“Three down, fourteen to go.” Thomas said with a smile. “Now, what exactly were you planning?” he asked the three captives.

“None of your business! You can’t stop this!” responded Atticus.

“Yeah! Gabriel will get here either w-” Arnold began, before being shushed by the other two.

Shinji understood, or at least he thought he did. Thomas was the first test subject, meaning his powers were most likely the greatest bar Kanta, and that meant he produced the most C-Particles. If they had utilised Thomas’ A.T. field….

Rei seemed to come to the same conclusion. “We have not stopped the Angel yet. We have merely stalled its arrival.” she said, scowling at the door.

“We should probably leave the Embassy, but...now what?” Thomas asked.

As if on cue, Shinji’s ear beeped. He put his hand to it as the group headed down the stairs.

“Father?” he asked the thin air.

“Shinji. Have you found Thomas?” Gendo asked, his voice slightly distorted by the device.

“Yeah. We’re leaving the Embassy now.”

They moved down to the reception, and quickly headed past the receptionist, who was watching two workmen fix the electrical box.

As they stepped outside, Thomas took a deep breath. “Ah, fresh air. Hits differently after two days indoors, I think.”

Rei nodded, and smiled. “You are returning to normal, I can tell.” she said simply.

“Oh? Well, that’s a good sign.” he replied, his smile returning.

“Alright, father, listen. The Cadets and Kanta have filled the city with these C-Particles over the last four days. They want to bring out Gabriel.”  
“Gabriel?”   
“The Angel, yeah.” Shinji replied, as the three started down the street. There weren’t that many people around, considering by now everyone was back at work.

“So they’ve given it a name…” Gendo began, “Shinji, this Angel is...new. It’s uniquely new. It’s so small, it can only be around a week old.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that the Angels are changing their strategy. I’m not sure why this is, due to your time inside Leliel, or Kanta’s influence, but it’s happening…”

Something was bothering his father. Even though he wasn’t here, Shinji had a funny feeling. “Father...are you…”

“I am fine, Shinji. I am merely thinking about the name which Kanta has given this Angel.” he admitted. “Gabriel... the messenger Angel...perhaps it could reveal something about the Angel’s nature.”

After a few minutes of walking, they found themselves near the shopping centre in the middle of the city.

“What do we do?” Shinji asked.

“All of our friends are at school.” said Rei. “If we arrive there together, the Cadets will be aware that something has gone wrong.”

“Good point.” said Thomas. “But listen. I think they planned to do something involving the Angel...and involving Asuka’s date with Archie.”

“Stop calling it a date!” Shinji hissed. It was like the words “Asuka”, “Archie” and “date” physically hurt him when put together. “Hang on...if they were expecting the Angel to be out by the time their...trip to the carnival starts, maybe we’ve already stopped it!”

“We cannot be too careful,” declared Gendo over the earpiece. “If I know Kanta, he’ll have the sixteen other Cadets with him to create more C-Particles. He’ll want control over the entire situation.”

“Well, we have apprehended three of the Cadets thus far.” Rei counted on her fingers. “Perhaps if we catch more of them, we shall have more of a chance convincing Asuka to reject Archie?”

“Reject- Ayanami!” Shinji snapped, “Our great plan to defeat the Angel can’t be sabotaging Archie’s...trip to the carnival!”

“Really? Not even if you want it to be the plan?” Thomas asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Wh-I don’t-I..” he stammered in reply.

“Shinji.” said Gendo, stopping his son from digging himself deeper. “If this...event goes ahead unchecked, the amount of C-Particles it would produce could be astronomical. Also, it could do extreme mental damage to Pilot Soryu.”

“...Mental damage?” _No. Nonononononono!_ Shinji had made a promise to save her from that fate, and he was going to keep that promise.

“Fine. You’ve convinced me.” Shinji announced. “If there’s even a chance of Asuka suffering at their hands, we have to stop them.”

Thomas looked at Shinji. “You really care about Miss Soryu, don’t you.”

Shinji nodded. “I know what she’s been through,” he said finally.

Rei turned to Thomas. “May I ask you something?” she asked, as Shinji talked more with his father.

“Of course, Rei.”

“When you were dragged away by the Cadets, you told me to....well, you said…”

“Oh, that. It’s uh, well, it’s something Kanta always told me before I used my powers in training. Kind of ironic now, really.”

Rei smiled. “Yes, I suppose it is. I...I am sorry for...” she trailed off, stepping towards Thomas’ injured arm and cheek.

“Please, don’t worry about it. We both weren’t...you know...fully in control during that time.” he admitted. “Those Cadets…”

“It must have been difficult living with those people for so many years.”

“A little. I didn’t know it was going to be like this. I don’t know what I’m going to do after we’ve stopped them.” he admitted, staring at the ground. 

Rei took his injured hand. Thomas winced slightly, but didn’t protest.

“You do not have to stay with them. You haven’t done anything wrong, in fact you’re helping us, so I’m sure you will be allowed to stay here once you explain your situation.”

Thomas looked at her. “Um...Rei...you’re using contractions…”

Rei paused, as if trying to look at her own mouth. “Oh...I suppose I have...I’m...I am not sure when that happened.” she mumbled, moving her fingers over Thomas’ many, many injuries. Thomas looked down at their hands, noticing the much smaller cuts and bruises on Ayanami’s arms.

Thomas sighed. “I’m sorry too. The things I said about you and your friends...I... I don’t know what I was thinking, and-”  
“It is fine. Besides, you were correct, in some ways. I have been overly cold towards Pilot Soryu...and it is my fault that she hates me. If we do go to find her at the carnival...I would very much like to apologise to her.”

“Well...I’m glad I could, um, help?” blurted out Thomas.

“I suppose you did help, yes.” At this point, Rei lowered her voice. “But...I was curious...you said the Instrumentality Project was doomed.”

“Well...Kanta believes that,” he explained. “He said...what was it... ‘There’s a definite chance of a hedgehog’s dilemma on a global scale, an eternity of suffering thanks to a...lack of self.’ That’s what he thought, at least.”

Rei’s grip on Thomas’ hand tightened. “Hadleigh...his opinion is irrelevant. He is nothing but a man. What do _you_ know about...my role?”

“I know...you won’t be there with us.” he admitted, “When we…”

“Yes...though, do not worry. I will not be alone, or rather, I will not feel alone.”

“What...will happen?”

Rei looked at him. For the first time, she was having doubts. “Oblivion.”

Suddenly, Shinji turned to face the two. “Right, come on. We’re headed to Misato’s apartment.”

Thomas looked at Rei, their hands moving apart, then at Shinji. “So...you have a plan?”

“More or less.” Shinji said, sighing. “But we need somewhere to start. Somewhere secret.”

“Okay..but why your apartment? How’s this gonna help us hide from the Cadets?” Thomas asked. In the distance, the carnival was visible. The ferris wheel was still, as if expecting, as if in wait.

“Simple.” replied Shinji. “It’s the first place they’d look for us.”

***

Gendo’s hand hovered over the telephone as Maya frantically worked on the scanners, trying to find a way to slow down Gabriel.

“Umm...Commander...this would be a lot easier with the other Lieutenants.” she exclaimed, pressing a few buttons by a panel.

“I am aware of that. But they, unlike yourself, have fallen under Kanta’s influence.”

“Oh, yeah, right.” Maya sighed, looking at the data on her screen.

Gendo looked back at the phone. He had no choice and he knew it. “Lieutenant, I need to place an urgent, classified call. As such…” he thought for a moment. “Cover your ears. Use headphones. Do whatever is necessary for you not to hear me. Understand?”  
“Oh, yes, Commander!” Maya replied, pulling out a pair of headphones.

Gendo nodded, and picked up the phone. He hadn’t called this number in years. But if he was correct in his theory, then the one of the ‘Laws of Nature’ , as Kanta put it, had been changed. And yet...

_“Hello?”_

“Araya, it’s me.”

_“...What is it that you want, Rokubungi?”_

“I need you to check the Dead Sea Scrolls for me.”

_“And just why would I do that?”_

“Because Kanta Hadleigh is planning something. Something big.”

_“Kanta...Very well. Is there a specific scroll you wanted?”_

“The one that lists the Angels that would appear, Araya.”

_“Right. Let’s see...I’m sure you’d have memorised this and...”_

“Araya?”

_“Impossible.”_

“It’s been changed, hasn’t it?”

_“Impossible! There wasn’t a “Gabriel” there before! What’s happened?!”_

“The Angels have changed tact, it appears.”

_“We were told eighteen Angels. It was foretold! And now, it’s changed! I...I…”_

“Focus, Araya.”

_“That’s Ikari to you, Rokubungi.”_

“...”

_“Well? Now what? I shall have to inform SEELE about this.”_

“Inform them once the Angel has been dealt with.”

_“You want me to lie to SEELE?...Very well.”_

“You’ll do it? That easily?”  
 _“Of course. I have my qualms, too. After all, they have now kept both my daughter and my grandson from me.”_

“Thank you, Ar- Ikari.”

_“Goodbye, Rokubungi. And, if you are indeed facing Kanta…_

_Good luck.”_

***

Misato Katsuragi was relaxing on her sofa when the doorbell rang. This was a shame, as she had only just got in five minutes ago. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Yawning, she covered herself up a little and made her way towards the door. Opening it, she was surprised to find three teenagers, who she didn’t at all recognise.

“Oh, good afternoon, Major Katsuragi, ma’am.” chirped the girl at the front. “My name is Nellie, and this is Bruno S and Lucas.” she said, gesturing to the two boys either side of her.

“Well, nice t’ meet ya.” replied Misato cheerfully. “And how can I help you?”

“Well, you see, we’d like to speak to Shinji Ikari, if that’s possible.” Nellie explained.

“Shinji? Isn’t he still at school?” Misato asked. It wasn’t that late, was it? She was suddenly starting to worry. The Cadets seemed to notice.

“Oh, don’t worry! We’re sure he’s fine!” said Bruno, waving his hands to try and calm Misato down, “We just...well, this is the first place we’d look for him if we needed to.”

“But...he is at school, right?” Misato asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Don’t worry!” exclaimed Lucas, “That’s the second place we were going to look! Thanks for your help!”

Nellie shut the door, but Misato put her ear to it and tried to listen in.

“ _English English._ ” muttered Nellie. “You could have ruined everything. She has to stay careless, remember?”

“Oh come on.” Lucas said, “It’s Misato. She’s always careless. We, on the other hand, know exactly where we’re doing.”

“Fine. Let’s get back to that school and find that _English…_ ”

Misato was about to open the door to chastise them for insulting her pilot, but there came a noise from Shinji’s room. The bedroom door opened, and out came a bluenette, a green-haired boy with scars on his left side, and the room’s owner, Shinji himself. They all had smiles on their faces.

“Oh, greetings Major Katsuragi.” mumbled Rei with a quick bow.

“Shinji, that was genius. Now they know not to look here!” said Thomas, gazing out of the window as the three Cadets left the estate.

“Wha- Shinji!” Misato yelled, her eyes wide as dinner plates, “What the heck is going on?!”

“Long story.” said Shinji, moving towards the kitchen. “We got here just before you did. Now you’ve been seen here, the Cadets aren’t gonna come back. Rei, lock the door.”

Rei nodded, and pressed a green button on the front door, turning it red.

“Shinji, that doesn’t explain much!” complained Misato, her fists clenched. “Now, if you don’t tell me what’s going on, I’ll tell Kanta, and-”

“Kanta?” piped up Thomas, “Him? Not your _actual_ boss, but him?”

Misato thought about this. Come to think of it, since when had she reported to Kanta? It had only been an hour or so since she had ran into him, and yet…

“Major Katsuragi, it is highly likely that you have been influenced by the powers of Field Marshal Kanta Hadleigh, in order to further his and the Cadet’s own aims.” Rei explained.

“We needed you to send the Cadets away, and so we had to make sure you did it honestly.” Shinji said, looking in the fridge. “Sorry about that,” he added.

“Oh, sure, yeah, don’t worry about it.” Misato muttered, running her hands through her hair. Influenced by Kanta? What did that mean? Mind control? “And...what are you doing now?”

Shinji pulled some butter out of the fridge, slamming it shut. “Making lunch. I haven’t had anything yet.”  
“Ooh, that’s a point, neither have I!” Thomas exclaimed, racing over. Misato watched as the two boys made themselves sandwiches, sitting down at the table. “Hey, Rei, d’you want something?”

Rei considered this. “Very well.” she replied.

“Alright, enough. Tell me what’s happening today.” Misato demanded, still using a mock-jeering tone.

Shinji paused, and moved towards her. He looked straight up at her. “Misato, it hasn’t just been today. It’s been the past _four._ Surely you must have noticed Asuka and I were at it a little more than usual?”

“Well, c’mon, Shinji, she’s always been-”  
“Yeah, and you never said anything!” he cried. Rei and Thomas watched, silent. They had never seen Shinji like this.

“You...you...you’re a drunk. And when you’re not a drunk, you’re overworked. I get that some of it is Kanta, but... _Really?!”_

Misato just stared. How much of it was Kanta? She had assumed that Shinji would eventually grow a pair and move on, like all men do. _But Shinji is different. I should have that figured out by now._

“Shinji..”

“And you know what the worst part is?!” he asked loudly. Misato didn’t say anything. She was slightly terrified. “It’s that you’re still, _by a lot,_ the best guardian I’ve had in eleven years!”

There was a silence. Misato stepped towards Shinji, and pulled him into her arms. Shinji suddenly realised the things he had said.

“M-Misato...oh Gods...I’m...so sorry...I didn’t…”

“Shhh...you’ve got nothing to be sorry for. You’re right. I do need to be better. For you and for Asuka.”

Shinji gripped Misato’s clothes. “I...I just...this week...it’s been hell.”

“Alright, it’s alright...come on, you’re hungry, you need to eat.”

Shinji’s smile returned. “Okay.”

A few feet away, Rei and Thomas watched, their eyes wide open. Shinji and Misato didn’t know it, but their A.T. fields had grown hugely over the course of that exchange.

“He did it...He counteracted the control...” muttered Thomas.

Rei kept her thoughts to herself. _If Shinji’s A.T. field is that strong, perhaps we have nothing to fear..._

A few minutes later, the three teenagers and Misato were busy eating their sandwiches.

“Thomas, are ya sure you’re alright? Those cuts look painful.”

The green-haired boy looked down at his left arm. “Oh yeah, they’re a little painful. But it’s nothing. Really.”

“Okay… but how’d that even happen?”

“Thomas and I had a fight.” Rei explained. Misato nearly choked.

“Guh...wuh...a fight?”

“It is fine. We were not...in control at the time. There are no grudges between us.” she said, looking at Thomas.

“Anyway, Misato. Now you know what’s going on.” began Shinji. “We need to find a way to pull Asuka away from the Cadets.”

“Right. They’re headed to the carnival up north, which is where-”  
“Where enough C-Particles will be generated to cause the Angel to break through the surface.” Rei said, staring at her sandwich.

“I’m afraid it’s worse than that.” Gendo Ikari’s voice suddenly appeared in Shinji’s ear, taking everyone by surprise.

“Father, wh-”

“Shinji, listen. This is important. If the Angel’s A.T. field is activated offensively, it will _ignite_ the C-Particles in the surrounding area.” There was a pause. Misato’s mouth hung open.

Thomas’ eyes widened in realisation.

Shinji broke the silence… “You mean…”

“I do. Wherever Gabriel emerges…will burn.” Gendo said solemnly.

There was another silence. Shinji’s face contorted in frustration. He didn’t have to ask where the highest amount of C-Particles were. He could guess. Asuka was walking into a great big bomb. A memory flashed in Shinji’s head. _Kaworu._ When he had taken control of Unit-02, NERV’s automatic defence systems started up. Heavy machine guns started firing which should have killed the albino boy, and yet, they were stopped in midair. In Shinji’s mind, that meant the Cadets could survive Gabriel’s emergence. Asuka, on the other hand…

“We need to form a plan” began Misato, “maybe-”

She was interrupted by Shinji slamming his hand onto the table, causing Rei and Thomas to jump. “She’s in danger. They’ve trapped her. _They’re trying to get Asuka_ _killed._ I’m not staying here a minute longer!” he declared, before running towards the door, unlocking it, and pulling it wide open.

“Shinji-!” began Misato, before noticing Rei and Thomas getting ready to go too.

“Come on.” said Thomas, finishing his sandwich as he got out of the door. “We better get after him before he does something stupid. SHINJI, WAIT!”

Misato sighed. “So much for hiding. Rei, what do you-”

But she had gone too. Misato sighed, and walked out after them, closing the door behind her. Asuka running off recklessly she could deal with. Shinji, on the other hand…

Soon, Rei and Thomas caught up with each other, Thomas slightly ahead due to his legs.

“Do you think this is a good idea?!” Rei asked over the howling wind as they rushed through Tokyo-3’s streets.

“Not sure, really!” called back Thomas, his scratches clearly stinging slightly. “We’re running into a death trap that could go off if one of us uses their A.T. field offensively!” he explained. “What could possibly go wrong?!”

“Shinji, wait!” Misato cried. Further down the street, she could see Rei, Thomas, and him, headed towards the Ferris wheel in the distance.

“ _I’m not running away this time. I’m running towards it, Mother!_ ” Shinji said to himself. He ran and ran and ran some more, past shops and commuters alike. He checked his watch. 3:48pm. Asuka would be there soon. He sped up, and so the three trailing behind him did so too. Shinji was so caught up in the euphoria of determination that he didn’t notice a man in green military uniform pass by him, a pair of sunglasses on his face, as he entered the carnival.

“ **As if it would be that easy.** ” he said, walking after them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun (and long) one to write! And to all the Asuka fans, don't worry, we'll be catching up with her quite soon...


	10. Legitimacy Of Authority, Part 2

Chapter 10: Legitimacy of Authority, Part 2

“ **Come on down to the Great Intrepid Carnival!** ” boomed a voice out of an intercom on a lamppost covered in bunting. All around, people moved to and fro, looking for their next bout of fairground joy, as the hospital loomed just to the side. These people, these unsuspecting people, were only here for a good time. They didn’t have the faintest idea of the battle lines that had been drawn around them. The only people not moving in this great crowd were a green-haired boy with scratches along his left side and a bluenette by his side. She’s crouched slightly.

“This is...very bright.” said Rei breathlessly, squinting at the bright colours of the carnival. “How long has this been here?”

“How should I know?” replied Thomas, looking at her with concern, “I’ve only been here for six days.”

“Fair enough.” sighed Rei. “Still, it is rather pretty. Do y-”

“WAIT UP!”

The two red-eyed teens turned around to see Misato running up, panting with her hands on her knees. “H-Hey...w-what’s up...wait...where’s…”

“We lost him in the crowd. He could be anywhere by now.” explained Rei.

Misato continued panting. “...Shit...now what do we do?”

“Shinji will be looking for Asuka and Archie,” began Thomas, keeping an eye out for a certain Third Child, “So if we can’t find him, finding those two might be a good place to start.”

“Good plan, Thomas…” Misato said, recovering. “Alright, let’s split up. I’ll head towards the Ferris Wheel, you two head towards the carnival games. Rei, you have your phone, right?”

Rei nodded. “Yes. If we find anything, we shall call you at once.”

“Great. Good luck, guys.”

The two nodded, and, with a wave each, left towards the stalls.

Misato started towards the Ferris Wheel, but quickly turned around to see the two teens leave towards the stalls. It was a very good thing she did, as she noticed none other than Kanta Hadleigh under the carnival entrance, his attention on the nearby rollercoaster. Misato panicked, heading backwards. She found herself hiding behind a tall man in a trenchcoat and hat as the Field Marshal headed off in another direction. However, the man in the trenchcoat seemed to notice her hiding behind his great mass. He points to the Brit, now looking at the queue for the rollercoaster.

“That guy bothering you?” he asks, his great pale hand lingering in the air. Misato was honestly caught by surprise by this.

“Yeah...kinda…” she admitted. In the constant summer of Tokyo-3, it was odd to see someone in a trenchcoat. She had also never seen someone that large before. He was definitely the tallest man she had ever seen.

“Alright, I get it. He looks like he’d be a bothersome type.” the man said, lowering his great white hand. “He does seem to be looking around for someone.” he observed.

Misato nodded in reply, looking around the large trench coat. “Yeah...I...think I’m fine now. Thanks.”

“No problem, ma’am.” he said, moving towards the rollercoaster. Misato wiped her brow. His hat covered his face, but Misato did notice a few things about him. She had had military training, after all. He had a very wide grin, a seemingly small head in comparison to his body, and his voice was slightly distorted.

Her attention moved again. To her left were three other Cadets. Misato recognised their black trousers, which only they wore. She moved towards them, and started to listen:

“We _do_ have a plan to get out of here when the time comes, right?” a black haired boy muttered.

“Of course, Bruno.” said a red-head, “We’re not idiots.”

“Right, right. These guys on the other hand…”

“I know, right? I thought this would take way, way longer…”

“Alright, this is it. Get in position.” said the third boy, stopping the other two. At this, they separated, each ducking under a tent. Misato stopped, and backed away. Just down the path were Asuka Langley Soryu and a boy with blonde hair, who Misato guessed was Archie Richardson. She tried to keep hidden, in between two of the tents, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that on the other side of the small gap was none other than Shinji Ikari, moving up his path as Asuka and Archie moved up theirs.

“Misato?” he mouthed. She put her finger over her mouth and pointed to the stall to her left. Nodding at each other, they pulled the tent’s wall and crawled in, and came face to face with one of the Cadets.

“Oh...um...ah…” he stammered. Misato recognised him as the boy who had asked about getting out of the carnival. Shinji looked at Misato. They both looked at the Cadet. Within seconds, they had both got ahold of one of the Brit’s arms.

“No! Wait! Don’t! I’ll talk! I swear!”

***

“I’m telling you, I do!”

“You’re full of it! No way!”

Down the corridor of NERV HQ came two young men in their beige uniforms, each with clipboards in their hands. Lieutenant Aoba scowled.

“I’m serious! She works at NERV-02 in America!”

“Uh-huh...sure…” smirked Lieutenant Hyuga, as they approached the lift door. “And what’s her name?”

“Parkway. Harlow Parkway.”

Hyuga looked at his colleague. “That sounds made up.”

“It Isn’t, okay! She isn’t! She does exist! I’ll call her after work, okay?!” yelled Aoba

Suddenly, the lift opened, and out stepped Kozo Fuyutsuki.

“Ah, Lieutenants. Wh-Where Is?” the old man said, pointing at the lack of Maya Ibuki.

“We’re...not sure..” muttered Aoba, looking at the empty space. “Is Ri- I mean, is Dr Akagi here yet? She might have gone to see her…”

“She’ll be here later.” explained Fuyutsuki. “She had to make her final report on the new EVAs. She’ll be back by tomorrow.”

“Right.” nodded Hyuga. “So...we still have no clue where she is?”

The three men looked at each other. “Odd.” said Fuyutsuki, as the three headed down towards the command centre. Internally, the older man was troubled. Gendo had told him he was heading out to have his lunch. He hadn’t done that for eleven years, and even then, he went with Yui. Something was wrong. Perhaps it had something to do with Hadleigh...no, it definitely had something to do with him. Ikari had been on edge all week over it, and part of him wondered if the Commander was being paranoid or not. At first, he had agreed with Gendo, that he did seem suspicious, but then he had had a conversation with Hadleigh himself, and now he wasn’t sure. As they came to the door to the command centre, however, they heard voices from within:

“Look! There they are! They’ve come out of that tent!” said one. Fuyutsuki recognised it instantly as belonging to Maya Ibuki. Lieutenants Hyuga and Aoba gazed at the Vice-Commander. He merely shrugged at them. Maya was always talking to herself. This wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary.

“They’ve got one of them, too, it seems.” said...Commander Ikari. That took the man by surprise. He gripped his clipboard tightly. Commander Ikari never spoke to Lieutenant Ibuki. _Never_. Maya always tended to keep her head down whenever the Commander was nearby. What were they doing talking to each other? Fuyutsuki gazed at the door for a few seconds, before attempting a knock. At once, he heard Maya stammering and worrying on the other side. There were a few steps, and the sound of the door being unlocked, followed by the face of Gendo Ikari appearing in the doorframe.

“Ah, Sensei. And...Lieutenants.” began Gendo, gazing around. The four men looked at each other awkwardly, as Maya came up behind the Commander.

“Commander, um, we could really use their help, actually.” she chirped, “it’s difficult to manage the cameras and the sensors at the same time.”

Gendo looked at the young woman. Fuyutsuki saw the cogs in his head slowly turning; he rarely considered other people’s opinions. He poked his head into the corridor and looked around, before pushing open the door and allowing the other men in. On the screen, they were surprised to find a split-screen of infrared maps of Tokyo-3 and what looked like CCTV images of the carnival up north. On the feeds, Fuyutsuki could make out several people he knew: Rei Ayanami and Thomas Igor (who seemed to have numerous cuts along his left side), who had stopped to watch a puppet show, Asuka Langley Soryu and another Cadet, who were buying candy floss, and Shinji Ikari and Misato Katsuragi, who were intimidating yet another poor Cadet.

***

“Ok, ok! Just...just listen to me, alright?!”

Shinji and Misato stepped back slightly as the Cadet (who they now knew was named William) took a few deep breaths. Misato raised an eyebrow.

“Ok, fine. What is it?”

“Look. This,” William said, gesturing to the carnival “was _my_ idea. Archie _stole_ it and added the whole Soryu-date-thing.”

Shinji glowered at him. “Oh, is that so? So what was your idea?”

“Keep you all separate. See, **Gabriel** , he, um, it, would be put at a severe disadvantage if you were all able to talk to each other. So I thought, if we kept you and the Pilots away from each other, the Angel would be in a prime position.”

“Wait, you were trying to _cause Third Impact?!”_ cried Shinji, quickly looking around to make sure nobody heard them.

“No, no! Course not! We were asked to _catch it!_ ”

“Catch it?” Shinji and Misato said at once, looking at each other. How on earth are you supposed to catch an Angel?

“I know, I know!” William yelled, clenching his fists. “The Field Marshal asked us to find a way and...well, we aren’t dumb enough to disobey him...Greenie, maybe, but everyone else…”

“Greenie?” asked Misato.

“It’s their name for Thomas.” Shinji said through gritted teeth. “Wait, so Archie stole your idea?”

“Yeah! Well, he altered it so he could get with Soryu, and…”

“And?” asked Misato.

“...And had the idea to drive you deeper into your, uh, ‘ongoing depressive slash traumatic issues’, so...yeah.” William explained.

“I’m sorry, did you say _ongoing depressive slash traumatic issues_?” Shinji demanded of the boy, stepping forward.

“Well, yeah, that’s how your file describes it!” exclaimed William, the fear returning in his eyes.

Shinji scowled, and kicked the dust at his feet. “Okay, so, you’ve dragged us all down into a death trap that’s due to explode at any second, to try and _capture a damn Angel._ Now what?”

“Now…” began William, “Archie will probably make Soryu feel like absolute garbage, then use the C-Particles from that to bring up Gabriel.”

“But why? Is he just...crazy?” asked Misato, now exasperated.

“Well, it would mean there are less EVA pilots to deal with the Angel. You know, one less EVA pilot. I mean, I guess two less now…”

Shinji’s eyes widened. “Oh...shit…”

It could’ve come crashing down then and there. Shinji could have let it collapse upon him there, the fact that he had brought Rei, Thomas and Misato here, and it was his fault if they died. Shinji felt himself move away and sit down on a bench. Had he really doomed everyone, _again?!_ He saw Misato interrogate William further, but he didn’t really care at that point. As the world darkened around him, he saw someone looking down at him. Was it...could it be…

“Shinji?”

There was a flash of light as the Third Child returned to the real world. Before him was not a woman dead for eleven years, but instead the glare of Asuka Langley Soryu. But it wasn’t rage that adorned her face. Was that...concern?

“Oh...Asuka...I...I…” he paused. He took a deep breath.

“I’m just being me. You know, moping around, all that stuff.” he explained, smiling at the ground.

“Right.” Asuka replied with a smirk. “All that stuff.” At this, Archie Richardson marched forward. Shinji couldn’t help but smile at the horrified look on his face.

“Oh, hey Arch.” said Shinji, copying Asuka’s smirk. “You two on a date or something?”

“What?! Hell no!” retorted Asuka as Archie’s mouth dropped even further. “We’re just here, okay?! Nothing like that!”

“Whatever you say.” said Shinji bluntly.

“Oh, you...baka...grrr…” stammered Asuka, seemingly trying not to laugh. “Whatever. I don’t care. Really, I don’t!”

“Whatever you say.” repeated Shinji.

“You here to test me, Shinji Ikari?” she asked.

“Depends if you are, Asuka Langley Soryu.” he replied.

Archie suddenly marched forward. “Hey, uh, listen, Asuka, I...need to speak to young Shinji here about something.” As he said this, Shinji was sure he saw a flash of red in his eyes

“Sure...I’ll get us some candy floss.” said Asuka, moving away. Sensing...something was coming, Shinji got off of the bench, and turned to face him. The Brit grinned at him. What they said was right. He had awful teeth.

“Shinji...it’s funny, I knew you had thoughts about ending it, but...coming here?” he said, the smug look he had on Monday returning, “Did Greenie put you up to this?”  
“No, actually, I convinced him to help me.” explained Shinji. “Also, his name is Thomas.”

Archie scowled. “Enough niceties. How the hell did you get out of that rut _I_ put you in?”

“You’d never believe me.” said Shinji cryptically. He wasn’t used to having the upper hand like this. It was a rather odd feeling. _Fighting fire with fire, smug with smug,_ he thought to himself.

“Never believe you? Anything you say that isn’t ‘oh, I’m so sorry Asuka’ is automatically considered a lie, or an exaggeration. Am I wrong?”

“Yes, and you aren’t funny either.”

“You can’t stop us. The Field Marshal is on the precipice of something brilliant. We are going to prove that these Angels are inferior to us. We will capture one. _Alive._ ” boasted Archie.

“And where does offing me and Asuka fit into this?”

“Well, that’s just social climbing. Has to be done, you see.” the Brit explained. “Besides, the Field Marshal views you too as a potential threat.”

That was news. “We’re a threat, are we?”

“Oh, yes. He took me aside and told me himself, said if I could come up with a way to, ah, off you, he’d be most pleased.”

Shinji took a step forward. “You’re insane if you think you can just openly talk about committing murder like that.”

“The King has been busy, Shinji.” announced Archie, stepping forward. “By now, I’d say almost all of NERV is under his sway.”

“That’s what you think.” Shinji responded. He found it very, _very_ easy to rebuff Archie. Perhaps it was something about the way he squirmed every time he did so.

“Read my lips, Shinji. _You. Can’t. Win._ How do you expect to get Asuka to leave before Gabriel appears?”

He would have said something else, but Asuka came back with the candy floss. Archie had to hide his utter disgust when it turned out Asuka had got Shinji some too.

“I...uh, you look _really_ thin, and, uh...” began Asuka.

“I get it.Thank you, Askua.” Shinji reassured her.

“Um, yeah. See you around, baka!” she called, as she headed off with Archie. As she turned around, the Brit glared daggers at Shinji, who gave him a small wave. Archie responded with a similar gesture, albeit with four fingers less.

***

“What a vulgar boy.” sighed Fuyutsuki, watching the footage. “Walking around like he owns the place.”

“Takes after the Field Marshal.” muttered Ibuki. At this, the Vice Commander swore he saw Gendo’s mouth move. Suddenly, there was a beeping. The screens switched to the infrared trackers, as the white shape of Gabriel was visible miles below the carnival. It was speeding up.

“This is bad.” said Lieutenant Hyuga, quickly having to deal with a lot of new information, “At this rate, the Angel will emerge in less than an hour.”

“And it will ignite the C-Particles in the carnival, our Major and our EVA pilots.” said Gendo, frowning through his crossed fingers.

“And dozens of innocent civilians!” Lieutenant Ibuki reminded the others. “Why can’t we just sound the alarms?”

Gendo turned to the other two Lieutenants. “Well? Can we?” he asked expectantly.

Hyuga stared down at the floor. Aoba ran his hand through his hair. “The Field Marshal...he, uh, requested that we temporarily turn off the alarm system today so his people could ‘recalibrate’ it.” he admitted.

There was a silence, followed by a loud slam. The people in the room were surprised to find that it had come from Maya Ibuki, herself being more surprised than anyone else.

“I...I’m sorry...I just...why would someone…” she began, looking at her fist on the desk.

“Kanta Hadleigh has only ever cared about himself. His selfishness is such that he is ready to let people die so that he may get what he desires.” Gendo explained. “Even at school….he did what he wanted without care of who he affected.”

There was a silence. Fuyutsuki looked at his protegee. What was that look on his face? Disappointment? Perhaps he had heard what he said, and realised who else it applied to them.

Gendo stood up. “I’m going to contact Shinji. We need the EVA pilots out of there as fast as possible.”

“He’s not going to like that, Ikari. He’ll demand that we try and save the others.” Fuyutsuki reminded him.

“Then perhaps we should allow him to do so.” said Gendo, with a smirk. “I sense the Cadets have tried to tank his self-esteem this week. I would say we need to counter this.” He pulled out what looked like a walkie-talkie and pressed a button on it. On the screen, the group saw Shinji put his hand up to his ear.

“Father?” said a crackly voice.

“Shinji, I have a plan. Listen very carefully to what I say.”

As Gendo explained, Maya noticed on the camera feeds that just out of sight of Shinji, poking their heads around a corner, were Rei and Thomas, watching intently.

***

“Agh, I can’t hear what Gendo’s telling him…” muttered Thomas, gazing at Shinji from a few feet away. “I guess an A.T. field can only go so far.”

“Indeed.” said Rei quietly. Thomas turned to look at her.

“Hey, you alright? You seem...distant.”  
“I am fine. I merely...I would like to find a way to talk to Pilot Soryu.”

“Yeah, that’d do it.” he admitted, smiling. “Maybe you should try having a collapse of confidence, too.”

“That was no mere collapse.” observed Rei, pointing at the Third Child. “He was pulled into that by the other Cadets.”

“Mind you, the fact that he got out of that just by _seeing_ Asuka…” Thomas trailed off, moving back behind the tent. “He really does like her. I can understand now why he didn’t like us calling it a date.”

“Why not?” asked Rei.

“Well, he’s jealous, of course.” Thomas explained, as Shinji walked back to Misato and William.

“What is ‘jealous’?”

Thomas looked at Rei for a moment. He knew that Rei had been...sheltered...throughout her life, but this was on another level. “Well...jealous is...wow, this is tricky...it’s like, you want something that someone else has.”

“Of course. So, Shinji wishes to...go on a date with Pilot Soryu?” Rei pondered out loud. She had never been on a date before. Asuka had probably had a lot of experience with that, while she had had none. _And Shinji wants to go on a date with her..._ she frowned at this. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, and found that the hand was covered in scratches.

“Hey...are you alright? I...I know you’re close to Shinji, and frankly, he’s been through the wringer this week, as have, well, everyone really, so-”

“It is nothing. Thank you for asking. I...I’m not used to it.” she confessed, offering a rare smile, which Thomas returned. “May I ask...have you ever partaken on a date?”

Pink suddenly covered the red cuts on Thomas’ face. “Oh...um...no, I have not.”

“I see. Thank you.” responded Rei sweetly. “In that case, we ought to move. We need to speak to Shinji.”

“ **Oh? You need to speak to him too?** ”

Time seemed to stop. Rei turned around, and before them stood a man with sunglasses and a green military uniform. It was strange, he was so similar, yet so, so different to Ikari. She thought, overall, the thing that separated Kanta Hadleigh from Gendo Ikari was the ear-to-ear grin that covered the Field Marshal’s visible face. What was also surprising was the usually confident Thomas Igor was now slightly crouched behind Rei’s back. This wasn’t good.

“ **You see, funny story. I got back to the British Embassy about, ooh, 20 minutes ago or so? And, well, I was surprised to find three of your Cadets locked in your room, Thomas.** ” The green-haired boy squirmed at the sound of his name. “ **Which is odd, since I told you to stay in that room so you could recover from...your, ah, onslaught, Miss Ayanami.** ”

Rei glowered at the man. “He did not recover. He has more bruises now than he did on Thursday.”

“ **Really? That is troubling….** ” Kanta said, in a way that suggested he wasn’t troubled by it at all. “ **Now, about Shinji...** ”

“Field Marshal, I...with all due respect, I...it’s, uh...” stammered Thomas, but Rei placed a hand on his scarred arm.

“Mr. Hadleigh. When I came to the Embassy, Thomas did not seem safe. As a result, I cannot in good conscience allow you to go near him.” Rei declared.

“ **Is that so? You know, Miss Ayanami, causation is not correlation. The Cadets do not act on my behalf.** ”

“S-sir?” questioned Thomas, now more confused than afraid.

“ **When I freed Victoria, Atticus and Arnold, they instantly fell to their knees and told me they’d been up to something. They said that their plan was to eliminate Miss Soryu, and so I thought it best to inform young Shinji.** ”

Thomas and Rei suddenly looked at each other. “Really?”

“ **Of course! What, did you think I wanted Third Impact? That’s Gendo’s job.** ” Kanta said, whispering the last part with a smile. Thomas and Rei stared at him with disbelief.

“Okay, well….Archie seemed to think you were behind this.” pointed out Thomas.

“ **Thomas, you know Archie. He’d do anything to be seen as ‘the leader’ of the Cadets. Meaning...** ” the smile suddenly faded from his face.

“ **Ah. Then it’s possible that Archie has been...manipulated...by others. This is bad...Thomas, come with me. We’re sorting this out.** ”

Rei cleared her throat. “Field Marshal, with all due respect, I-”

“ **Hmm? You think you know better? You forget, we all know who you are and what your goal is, so-** ”

“ _Enough_!” cried Thomas, suddenly moving forward. “Don’t speak to her like that! She’s done nothing wrong!”

“ **Nothing wrong yet, boy. ‘Oh, please sir, she’s got eyes like mine, don’t hurt her!’ I sense you’ve been forgetting to take your medication. Now, if you don’t-** ”

He was suddenly interrupted by two hands grabbing his arms and twisting them behind his back. Behind Kanta Hadleigh, stood a woman with purple hair and a red leather jacket.

“So you’re the ones causing a ruckus. Not very British of you, hmm?” Misato said, a smile on her lips. “I never thought I’d have the job, no, the _honour_ , of doing this.”

“You were the only one for the job, Misato.” came a voice. A smile appeared on both Rei and Thomas’ faces as Shinji came forward, dragging William along with him.

“Woah...you got him... _English English..._ ” he stammered, Thomas smirking next to him.

“Hey, Shinji. Looks like you’ve got yourselves in a pickle.” Misato said, smirking. “Might that have something to do with your supervising skills?” she continued, gesturing to Hadleigh.

“ **Okay, okay! Now, I’ll admit, I may have got a little distracted. But if you don’t let me help you, this place will be going up in flames!** ”

“And how are you going to help us?” asked Shinji, avoiding Hadleigh's gaze.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and before anyone could react, Kanta had broken out of Misato's grip and was now outside of the circle they had formed around him. Shinji twisted around on the spot to see the Field Marshal with a familiar-looking earpiece in his hand. He was looking up at a camera.

“ **I was wondering where he was getting it. Are you there, Gendo?** ”

Shinji backed away, his hand scratching at the lack of earpiece. Kanta seemed to enjoy the attention he was getting, yet not one of the people around him seemed to be able to move towards him. _That’s probably him too,_ Shinji thought. But what could he do? His father was most likely as scared as he was, that was just _how bad Kanta was._ He tried to picture what it would be like if Toji, years from now, came to Tokyo-3 and demanded that they work together to stop people dying. _Insane. Just insane._ Shinji took a step back. He was now nearly around the corner of the path. And down at the other end of the path, past the great big topped tent which was clearly the centrepiece of the carnival was Asuka, sitting on a bench. _Alone._ Shinji walked forward without thinking, and was surprised when he saw a hand jump out of the tent and grab him, pulling him in. A quick movement later and he was on the ground in the circus tent, and before him stood Archie Richardson. His eyes were now glowing _red_.

***

Gendo stared at the camera feed for a few moments as the man in sunglasses pointed directly at him. He was miles beneath the earth, far away from him, yet he could still feel _him_ pushing at him. He scowled, glad Kanta couldn’t see him.

“I’m here,” he said bluntly.

“ **Now, I have a plan. But, since I technically had a hand in this kerfuffle, and I assume you, too, have a plan, well...** ”

“Good.” said Gendo, relieved. He turned around, and saw Maya nodding encouragingly. “In that case, this is wh-”

“ **No no no. We’re going to say our plans together. At the same time. Like we always did.** ”

Gendo let out a long, deep sigh. Fuyutsuki pinched the space between his eyebrows. Maya’s jaw was left slightly agape. But what came next made it drop.

“...Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

Lieutenant Aoba glanced at his boss, pushing the long hair out of his face. “Commander, are you-”  
Gendo quickly took his finger off the ‘Talk’ button. “Our EVA pilots and our Major are down there. We can’t afford to lose them. We need to play Kanta’s game. Whatever that may be.”

“ **Are you still there, Gendo? It won’t be long before this Gabriel appears.** ”

“Yes, I’m ready.” replied Gendo. Fuyutsuki noticed one of his hands in its usual position by its face, as if expecting the other hand to cross with it. Unfortunately, this hand (the one with Adam inside) had to be kept on the ‘talk’ button.

“ **All right, one...two...three...** ”

“ **_Use our A.T. Fields to keep Gabriel from burning anything!_ **” both said at once. That was a surprise.

“ **Ha ha! We’ve still got it, Gendo!** ” cried Kanta. On the screen, the NERV officials watched as Kanta jumped up and down, earpiece in hand.

“Indeed. Good to know we’re on the same page.” admitted Gendo with a small smile.

“Of _course!_ ” exclaimed Hyuga, “If you surround the Angel with A.T. fields, it won’t be able to reach the C-Particles! It can’t cause them to ignite!”

“ **Yes, yes. Now, we’ll need myself, Thomas, young William, and Miss Ayanami for this to work.** ” explained Kanta. “ **Oh, and we need an exact location for where Gabriel will show up.** ”

“Very well, hang on.” nodded Gendo, moving his finger off the button. “Lieutenant Ibuki, can you-”

But Maya had her attention on Shinji. He had backed away from the main group, and had noticed Asuka on her own.

“Where’s-” Maya began, but was interrupted as Archie quickly appeared, pulling Shinji into the great circus tent.

“Goodness me.” muttered Fuyutsuki.

“Hey, Commander.” blurted out Maya, her eyes transfixed, “You won’t believe where the Angel’s due to break the surface in...less than five minutes.”

*** 

“I warned you, you little _English._ ” he spat, the unknown insult sending saliva everywhere. Shinji pushed himself up on his elbows. Archie merely smirked.

“Don’t bother. I can use my A.T. field and you can’t. You’re hopelessly outmatched.”

Shinji ignored him, and got up on his feet. “Story of my life.”

Archie laughed mercilessly, stepping forward. “You know, I don’t know what’s greater. Your obsession with Soryu, or your desire to get killed. Still, doesn’t matter. All this means is two Cadets get to be EVA pilots. I think I’ll go with Victoria, or maybe Bailey the girl. They’ll keep Unit-01 company.” he said with a grin.

For reasons Shinji didn’t fully understand, that comment about Unit-01 made him very, _very,_ angry. In an instant, he charged forward, grabbing ahold of Archie’s shirt and struck him across the face. Not to be outdone, the Brit immediately elbowed Shinji in the chest and gripped his arm, pushing him downward.

“I’m not..some Angel...that’ll be beaten into submission, you know…” began Archie, throwing Shinji back onto the floor face-first and activating his A.T. field. “But I sense even _you_ won’t be able to _throttle_ this one!”

Shinji couldn’t move. His whole body felt glued to the floor. Then, the ground shook ever so slightly. Then it started to flicker with white flame. The C-Particles were starting to ignite.

“This is going to be one hell of a show!” yelled Archie, caught up in his own rush of joy at his plan coming together. At that point, Shinji was trying everything to get out, to move even the slightest muscle, but nothing happened. The ground was starting to warm up. He felt his brain fry under the heat. He closed his eyes…

And heard something.

“ _\-----Yui...-----”_

“Mmm...what?” he mumbled. He turned to his left. There, a few feet away were lights. Lights that looked familiar. He looked to the right, where he saw a lone light which looked very familiar indeed. But the noise was coming from behind him. So, he tilted his head as far back as it would go, until he saw two lights he didn’t recognise, next to one that seemed much larger than the others. The lights were..talking.

 _“So you met her? You met Yui Ikari?”_ said a slightly distorted voice.

 _“Of course. She would come to the carnival all the time. Her and that boyfriend of hers. Then, one time, she brought her son, and then we never saw her again.”_ said a man’s voice.

 _“Darling, I heard something. It sounded like yelling.”_ said a woman.   
_“Sssh dear. Our guest won’t be long. You should have asked sooner, I saw you walking around my carnival!”_ replied the man.

 _“Forgive me.”_ said the guest. _“In my line of work, it’s hard to remember that there are people who can help you.”_

It was with that voice that an idea burst into life inside Shinji’s mind. And it was a pretty damn good one, if he might say so himself.

Shinji opened his eyes at last. The ground was now constantly shaking beneath him, and Archie appeared to be in the middle of a speech.

“...and yes, part of that was pursuing Asuka. I know how you feel about her...and how I do as well. You know, now it’s you who could perish, it seems such a waste to see her go. If only you’d _stay where you’re supposed to,_ we wouldn’t have any of-”

“You might have noticed, but I’m not very good at doing what I’m told.” Shinji butted in, grinning. “You can’t keep me here! You hear me?! YOU LET ME GO RIGHT NOW, _ARSEHOLE_!”

Archie scowled at the interruption. “Ooh, you’ve picked up some English, eh?! Well, I’ll-”

“Hey, who’s there? Is something wrong?” In a moment, two people had come through to the tent from a side area. There was a man in a sparkling red ringmaster outfit and top hat, next to a woman who Shinji now saw had a baby in her arms. Behind them, however, was the tallest man Shinji had ever seen, in a large trenchcoat and hat. Shinji knew their voices.

“Hey, that boy on the floor looks hurt, Michizane.” observed the woman.

“I think you may be right, Kameko. Take Kaemon and go. This may be dangerous.” Michizane the Ringmaster growled, staring daggers at Archie, who didn’t seem to have a clue what to do.

“Ringmaster, please, be careful.” the man in the trenchcoat cautioned, “The ground looks precarious.”

As they stepped forward, Archie started to panic. And as Archie started to panic, Shinji found himself able to get back up, bringing his hand up to his stinging cheek. He had to get these people, the people who’d saved him (and the entire human race) out of here.

“Please, you need to leave.” he said, turning to the two men. “It isn’t safe here.”

“I agree with...this fellow.” the man in the trenchcoat said. “Go, ringmaster. Get to your wife. I’ll do what I can here.”

At this, Michizane nodded and left the same way his wife did, looking nervously at the flickering earth. Shinji and the man then turned towards Archie.

“Stay back...both of you...I’m warning you…” he stammered. Shinji Ikari was one thing, but this brute of a man was another. The man in the trenchcoat slightly raised his hat, and Archie squealed at the sight of his wide grin. Luckily for him, he wouldn’t have to deal with this creature.

“ _ARCHIE! ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH!_ ” cried William, leaping onto Archie’s back, causing him to go careening into the side of the tent. “That’s for stealing my ideas, you bastard!” he cried. Then, Misato came running in, followed by Kanta, Thomas and Rei.

“Shinji!” Misato yelled, pulling him away from the now rapidly shaking ground and moving her hand over his injured cheek. He watched as Kanta and the two red-eyed teens stepped forward, William coming up behind them.

“ **Right, spread out and get yourselves ready.** ” Kanta demanded, moving William and Thomas with a push to the back each. The man in the trenchcoat seemed to have vanished.

“Come on, Shinji. We’ve gotta find Asuka.” Misato declared, pulling Shinji out of the tent. Before Shinji could leave, however, he felt the air around his hand snap, causing him to recoil it back. He twisted around, and saw Archie standing before him, as fire began to leap along the tent’s entrance. The Brit did not look well at all.

“You...bastard...you...you’re stuck with us, now!” he laughed, as the ground in the middle of the area collapsed inward, bursting with flames, a crackling noise filling the room. Shinji stared at the four people barricading Gabriel, then at the entrance, now completely aflame. It was hopeless. He’d always had a thing about fire. It was such a rarity post-impact; most people just used radiators. Now he was surrounded by it. Fire was leaping from the pit, setting other parts of the circus alight. His stomach curled in on itself.

“ **What can you do, coward?!** ” yelled Archie, his eyes glowing crimson.

What could he do?

“Shinji!”

It was coming from outside. _It was Asuka._ Shinji looked at the flaming exit. As the two separate sides of the cloth billowed, Shinji could make out red hair between the flames. He took a deep breath, and rushed towards her. As he did so, the cloth seemed to part as he got out of the tent. He turned around to see a furious Archie on the other side of the inferno. Shinji looked at him, and gave him a wave, albeit without using four of his fingers. He turned around. Where was Asuka? She’d called his name, hadn’t she? He had seen her out here, right? But nobody seemed to be around, except for that man in the trenchcoat. He grinned, and Shinji finally saw it.

“Not a bad trick, for a beginner.” _Lujo said with a wide grin._ “Now watch.”

Shinji turned around, and lucky he did, as a great blast of white lightning struck through the roof of the circus and flew up into the orange, dusky sky. As it did so, the cloth of the circus suddenly became completely riddled with flames, until it was nothing more than ash in the air. All around, people stopped and pointed, as the lightning reached a high point in the sky. There was a flash, and the spark scattered into tiny little pieces until there was nothing but the flickering of telephone poles as this electricity wormed its way inside. Then, nothing. Out of the smoke that now emanated from where the large tent was came three teenagers and a man with sunglasses. He was dragging another teenager behind him.

“ **That went well, didn’t it?** ” chirped Kanta, looking at Shinji and the man in the trenchcoat who merely nodded, “ **Though, I would say, Shinji...if you could refrain from driving my Cadets to...whatever that was?** ”

“So long as you stop your Cadets interfering with my friends.” replied Shinji. “Now, if you excuse me, I need to go find Asuka.” and with that, he was off. There was a stunned silence.

“Always on the move, isn’t he?” observed Thomas as the Third Child ran off down the path.

“Only since Leliel, really.” admitted Rei. “Still, it’s a not unpleasant change, I think.”

“Gabriel is still out there, isn’t it?” said William, kicking the dust.

“ **We only prevented it from igniting the C-Particles in the area.** ” said Kanta, eyeing the man in the trenchcoat. “ **Now, William, go home. Thomas, you stay with Miss Ayanami until I come find you. Understand?** ”

Thomas nodded, as they were sent down another way to William and Shinji. This left Kanta alone with the giant man.

“King Kanta. We need to talk...” Lujo said, his grin wider than ever.

***

Asuka Langley Soryu was sat on a bench by the Ferris Wheel. Alone. She had no idea where Archie had run off to. _Probably found someone better-looking than me,_ she thought. Everything had stopped; apparently there had been some kind of electrical fault, and they were having to close everything early. She barely even noticed when someone came up to her. Whoever it was, they were in for such a yelling at for interrupting her when-

“Asuka?”

She looked up. “Oh. Hey Shinji.” she mumbled. The boy sat down next to her, and Asuka noticed a great big cut on his right cheek.

“What happened to you?” she asked, noticing the blood on his shirt as well.

“I’ve...had a long day.” confessed Shinji, covering his wound with his hand.

“Wait!” blurted Asuka suddenly. Shinji jumped and turned to her. “I...you look...Don’t play games with me, Shinji. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“What’s wrong?” he repeated, looking at her. “Okay, let’s see here: First, the Cadets use their A.T. fields to make everyone ignore me. Second, they get you to bully me further. Third, they drive Rei and Thomas apart, leaving Thomas covered in scars. Then, they plot to allow an Angel to get out, burning everyone here, just so they can have a chance at glory or whatever, and-”  
  


“Hang on, hang on, what?! Is this why Archie’s stood me up?! How long has this been going on?!” Asuka demanded, shocked at the information she had missed.

“All day! All week! Ever since Tuesday, when you started being more of a…” Shinji stopped himself. “I mean...I...I just…”  
“Say it.”

Shinji looked at the redhead. “What?”

“Say it. Finish that sentence.”

He looked at her for a few seconds, debating it in his head. “...Asuka, you’ve been a...bitch to me all week, and I have no idea why.”

She sighed. She hadn’t met his gaze this entire time. In fact, she may not have made eye contact with him all week. “They...told me things. About you. That I thought were true.”

She didn’t have to tell him what those things were. At least they didn’t know about the worst of it. _At least the worst of it would never happen_. “Oh…oh Gods...”

“Yeah…” Asuka looked up at him. Her gaze was fixed on the ground. “They...when I was around them I...felt like I’d moved backwards. Like I’d lost something. Like I just...couldn’t _not_ do what they said.”

Shinji nodded. “I...I don’t hold it against you, Asuka.”

She looked at him, slightly confused. “Really?”  
“Of course. I know how powerful those A.T. fields are. Not even Ayanami could resist them.” he said.

“Wait, Wondergirl?”

“Yeah. She and Thomas had a fight.” Shinji confessed.

“What?! And I didn’t...who won?!” Asuka asked, moving forward, “What happened?!”

“Ok, so...Thomas got a load of cuts on his side, cause he’s….okay, this is going to take a lot of explanation. Thomas was experimented on by Kanta, and so…”

He was explaining C-Particles by the time Misato had found them. Shinji was still explaining things as they drove home. He was finishing by the time they got through the door. There was a lot to go through. 

“So, Gabriel’s still out there?” Asuka asked as she sat down. She was still in her school clothes. It _had_ been a long day.

“Guess so. Also, I doubt the carnival’s coming back to Tokyo-3. Sorry.”  
“Don’t apologise. Not your fault.” she said bluntly.

“Right.” he mumbled.

“Shinji, listen.” Asuka said suddenly. “Look, I know you don’t hold it against me, but...you fought back, so there’s really no excuse for me.”

He stared at her for a moment. How could she think that? “Wh- Asuka?! No excuse?! Asuka, you were being covered 24/7 by those Cadets, they _literally ignored me!_ It was totally different!” he exclaimed.

Then, Misato started to laugh. The two teenagers turned around and looked at her.”Sorry, it’s just funny to see you two arguing over ‘who was more controlled’. Now, you guys have a synch test. Get to sleep.”

***

Asuka was lying awake in her bed. She felt guilty. She hadn’t felt guilty in years. It was a rare occurrence for her, and so she wasn’t sure what to do about it. She knew, deep down, that she had fucked up. Shinji was finally turning around, finally looking like someone Asuka could…

“And then you drove him away.” Asuka muttered to herself. “What’s the matter with you? First Kaji, then Shinji...even Archie. Why can’t you keep a guy near y-”

_Tap Tap Tap._

Asuka’s eyes opened at once. What was that?

_Tap Tap Tap._

It sounded like it was coming from outside. What was it? It was too heavy to be Pen-Pen, but it didn’t sound like someone with shoes... _Because the Japanese don’t wear their shoes inside._ But what kind of burglar took their shoes off before robbing a house? Asuka got out of bed and moved towards the door. Slowly, she pulled the door handle, brought it towards her, and peeked through the small gap. There in the living room was Shinji Ikari, a notepad in hand, pacing to and fro in the dark. He turned around and saw a pair of blue eyes. He gasped.

“Ssh!” said Asuka quickly, eyeing the door to Misato’s bedroom. There was a silence. The teenagers looked at each other.

“What?” whispered Shinji, gripping his notebook.

“What do you mean, what? What are you doing?” she asked.

“Nothing, I swear.” replied Shinji. Asuka looked at him for a few moments. “Really, I wasn’t! I just...couldn’t sleep.”

“Huh...right...me neither, I guess.” Asuka admitted, scratching her cheek. Shinji was silent. He was just staring.“What?”

“It’s just...your hair.” he said, pointing slightly. “I’ve never...you’ve always got your A-10’s in, it’s weird seeing you without them.”

“Oh, yeah...I’m not crazy enough to wear them to sleep, though.” she chuckled, causing Shinji to smile.

“Could’ve fooled me. You never seem to take them off.” observed Shinji, quickly adding, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just something I’ve noticed.”

Asuka stepped forward, pointing at the notepad in Shinji’s hands. “What’s that?”

Shinji pushed it into his pocket. “It’s nothing!” he said. Asuka was going to pursue it, but Shinji looked terrified. _Genuinely._ So, for once, Asuka dropped it. The terror on Shinji’s face slowly disappeared.

“‘Kay. So...now what?”

Shinji looked like he was going to say something, but kept stopping himself. Asuka watched as he slowly stepped forward, watching his feet. Asuka could see the bruising on his cheek.

“Asuka I...I just...” he stopped. They were quite close, their faces covered in a blue shade. “I think...I can’t put it into words. I’m sorry,” Shinji said, his eyes starting to well up. “I can’t...my stupid head...I’m too much of a coward...an idiot...I..”

Asuka moved forward again. She wasn’t an idiot. She knew what Shinji probably thought of him. But she also knew he thought he could never tell her. That was the problem.

“Shinji...you don’t have to be afraid.” Asuka promised, putting a hand on his shoulder. Shinji responded by pulling her into his arms, just as he had done when he left Unit-01.

Asuka felt her arms move behind him, until they came to a stop on his back. Shinji’s grip on her tightened at this. He moved his head until it rested on her shoulder. Asuka followed suit. They stood there for a while, just as they had done weeks ago, but this felt different. It was...balanced. Shinji sniffled.

“What is it?” Asuka whispered in his ear, causing him to move his head up. He looked at her and smiled.

“It’s just...I’ve never had this. I’ve never been able to...I dunno...give back.” he muttered. It was Asuka’s turn to smile slightly.

“So much for pushing you away.” Asuka remarked, moving her fingers along Shinji’s arms. “Those Cadets aren’t very good at their jobs, are they?”

“I...No, they aren’t. They’re pathetic.” chuckled Shinji, moving back slightly to look at the Second Child. “I mean, you’ve got to be bad If I could beat them, right?”

“Hey...don’t say that about yourself. You’re the _second_ best EVA pilot, and considering you didn’t know what an EVA was six months ago…”   
“Asuka, um, that might not be true…” Shinji blurted out. They moved apart slightly, still keeping a hold of each other.

“What do you mean?” she asked, making a quick glance towards Misato’s door.

“My mother...when she died...I was there. She brought me to NERV when the contact experiment happened. I guess I’d...blotted it out of my memory.” he whispered, looking at the floor. As he did so, Asuka caught a glimpse of the notepad he had stuffed into his pocket. From what she could see, she made out the words “Mass Produced Evangelion”. For some reason, that phrase made her very...nervous. He wasn’t telling her everything, though, to be fair, she had no plans to tell Shinji everything. At least, not right now.

“Shinji...even still, you were four. Besides, I...I saw my mother die too.” Shinji looked up at her face. They had the same look on their faces. Asuka could tell what it was now. Grief.

“Asuka...I’m sorry.” he said, pulling her back into his arms. Asuka didn’t resist.

They were silent again. For how long, neither of them knew.

“Hey...how long do you wanna…” Asuka began.

“I don’t know… I don’t even know what this means…for us...”

“I think...we’ve had a long day.”

“Yeah, me too.”

For the first time in eleven years, the Second and Third children were at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hokay, this was a long one coming! Sorry it took longer than the others, but this one was still great fun to write! Though our Pilots might not be out of the fire just yet...


	11. The Annunciation, Part 1

Neon Exodus Evangelion 

Volume 1: The Return of Evangelion 

Chapter 11: The Annunciation, Part 1 

“Toji!” exclaimed a little girl in a hospital bed. Sakura Suzuhara had been here for a few months, but she didn’t really mind all that much. She still got to see her brother every week, after all, and she could do as much drawing as she wanted to. Her brother walked towards her bed and smiled. She liked it when he smiled like that.

“Hey, how ya doin’?” he asked, sitting down at her bedside.

“Great! It’s been great! I could see the carnival from my window!” she said, pointing to it. From here, Toji could see the carnival, or rather, what still hadn’t been packed away from it. In the centre of it all was, instead of a circus tent, a large green one with the NERV emblem on it.

“Hey, Sakura, did you see what...”

“Yeah! Yesterday, there was this BIG light thing that went way up into the sky! It was so cool!” she said, moving up and down in her bed. Toji’s eyes widened.

“Seriously? I know Asuka and Archie were there, but...” Toji thought aloud. As he did so, Sakura turned around and pulled a few pieces of paper out of a pink folder with butterflies on it.

“Look, look! I drew it!” she said, pushing the pictures into her brother’s hands. Toji sifted through them, amazed at what he saw.

“Sakura, these are amazing…” he said, looking over the drawings. First, there was the carnival as it had been all week. Then, there was one with a great burst of lightning in the middle of the area. Then there was a final image with a smoking crater, as NERV vehicles started pulling in. Several people in the pictures stood out, however. Toji saw a blue-haired girl and green haired boy in all three pictures. In the second one, they were standing around the burst of flame. Then he noticed a purple-haired figure, standing next to a redhead and a brown-haired boy. Toji stared in silence for a moment.

“Umm...these people here, are they...”

“Mmm! They were there, too! I saw their cool hair out of everyone else! Can I get my hair blue like that girl?” she asked, leaning forward.

“Uhh...you’ll hafta ask Dad about that one.” replied Toji quickly. He wondered how Rei would react if he told her about this. _Probably wouldn’t react at all,_ he thought. But, he put this to the side for a moment. He was here for his sister. The mysterious geyser of flame could come later.

“Bye, Toji! See you next week!”

As Toji left the hospital, he immediately pulled out his phone and flicked through the contacts, down to Kensuke Aida’s name. He looked around. Toji had come to see Sakura quite early this time, as he had plans with the Cadets. Now, however, he wasn’t as sure. In the drawings there were several boys and girls being led away by someone with sunglasses. They were being led by a boy with green hair. Toji needed to talk to someone about this.

_Beep, beep….Beep, beep…Beep, beep…_

“Hey, Kensuke, you there?” asked Toji.

“...Toji, the hell you doin’, it’s sooo early...” groaned Aida.

“Listen, I found out some weird stuff, and-”

“Jeez, not this again. First with the Squid Angel, now that Sphere Angel…” Kensuke cut in. Toji was slightly surprised at this. Usually, Kensuke was totally invested in anything odd or strange. What’s more, he knew that his friend knew the names of all the Angels. By heart.

“Hey, what’s with you? It’s only nine thirty.” complained Toji, squinting at the risen sun.

“What’s with you?!” shouted Kensuke over the phone, “You’ve been hanging with the Cadets more all week! They’re tired of you, so they’re tired of us!”

“What?! I...How the hell do...” Toji stammered, thinking. He and Kensuke had been hanging with the Cadets all week, but they’d done it together. What was he on about?

“Hey, listen dude, I-” Toji began, before Kensuke quickly interrupted him again.

“No, don’t “dude” me! I _guess_ I’ll see you at the thing they’re planning near the power station. Though I wouldn’t bother showing up if I were you.” he said before hanging up, with enough passive-aggressiveness to make Asuka. Toji stopped in the street, his phone to his ear. In the many years they’d known each other, Kensuke had never spoken to him like that, ever. Toji had only ever felt this confused after zoning out in class. He took his phone down from his ear and stared. He felt like going home, especially if Kensuke was going to be like that today. But, as a gust of wind blew out of a nearby alley, Toji found himself reconsidering. His head was filled with his sister’s drawings, and remembered who sat next to Asuka in the final image. He flicked through his contacts, down to a number marked “ _Shinzilla_ ”. Toji smirked, and pressed “Call”. After all, there was nothing better than an eyewitness, right?

_Beep, beep….Beep, beep…Beep, b-_

“Umm, hello?” came a small voice.

“Yo, Shinji! It’s me, Toji! Listen, I need t’ talk to ya!” he said, walking down the road.

“Huh? How come, Toji?”

“It’s about that carnival! What the hell happened?”

“Um, a lot of stuff, really… I don’t really...um…” Shinji stammered. There was suddenly a fumbling from Shinji’s side.

“Hey, is that you, Stooge?!” yelled Asuka Langley Soryu over the line, causing Toji to move his phone away from his ear.

“Yeah, it’s me, Soryu. You were there too, weren’t you? On that date with Archie, right?”

“Hmm, yeah, but he stood me up, that-”

“Asuka, move!” Shinji interrupted, followed by more fumbling.

“Make me, baka!” she shouted.

“Shinji! Soryu! The carnival, please?!” Toji yelled over the ruckus.

“...You alright, Toji?” asked Shinji cautiously. “You sound...stressed.”

“I have had...an irritating morning.” he replied.

“Try an irritating week.” Asuka piped up.

“Or an irritating eleven years.” muttered Shinji.

“ _Gott..._ ok, baka, dial it back...”

“Ok, ok!” Toji said finally. “Why don’t I just head over to’ your place?”

“ _No!_ ” said Asuka very suddenly.

“Umm...why?” asked Toji.

“I mean...um, uh...we’ll call you back, okay?!” she said quickly, followed by a click. _Better than a barrage of insults,_ Toji thought to himself. There was nothing else to do, and so Toji put his phone back into his pocket. As he walked, he thought about what he had heard. _‘We’ll call you back?’_ That was new. It was definitely a theory he had, but he hadn’t really given it much weight. He dismissed this, and kept walking. However, he hadn’t gone far before he noticed a tall, green-haired boy sticking out like a sore thumb among the crowds. Toji called out, and moved towards him.

“Igor! Hey, Thomas! Third time lucky!” Toji said, a genuine smile on his face. Thomas Igor looked slightly confused at this, but returned the smile nonetheless.

“Ah, Suzuhara, good to see you.” he said, turning around and giving a small wave. In the glinting sunlight, Toji only then realised that his entire left side was covered in cuts.

“Woah! What happened there?!” Toji asked, flabbergasted.

“Oh, nothing much, really. It doesn’t hurt, don’t worry.” he replied reassuringly.

“Does it have anything to do with what happened yesterday?”

“Mm, a little. Why do you ask?”

Toji paused. There was something about Thomas that was different to the others. It was how he felt about Rei, which made sense considering their...similarities. He seemed...trustworthy. Which, to be honest, was what Toji needed right now.

“I was just curious...my sister saw it from the hospital, so...”

“Oh, right...” said Thomas, shifting up a plastic bag he was holding.

“What’s that?” Toji asked, pointing at the blue bag. Thomas looked at it and immediately brightened up.

“Oh, that’s for Rei and me. She didn’t have much to make breakfast, so I went out to get her some.” Thomas explained. However, this left more questions than answers in Toji’s head. Thomas seemed to realise this. “Oh, right!”

“See, I sort of, um...stayed with Rei last night. As in, I slept in another apartment in the same block. That was next to hers.” Thomas elaborated.

“Ah, right, right.” Toji said absentmindedly. “Wait, are you and the Ice Queen-”

“No, no!” implored Thomas , his face going pink. “We...I...I just...didn’t want to stay with the other Cadets in the Embassy.”

“Is _that_ something to do with yesterday?” Toji asked expectantly. Thomas sighed.

“Tell you what, how about you come over to Rei’s block? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind explaining stuff. Her synch test’s been delayed too, and…” Thomas paused and lowered his voice, “I’m worried she doesn’t get out much. She seems really pale.”

“Thought you’d never ask.” Toji smirked, moving down the busy pavement with Thomas.

“Oh, I meant to say, how come you weren’t at school?”

“Oof, this is going to take a while. Okay, what can I tell you, um...”

***

There was a screeching of gears and metal as the lift grounded to a halt in the main science labs of NERV HQ. Maya Ibuki had always hated how the lifts did that. It made her jump every time, and no amount of oiling made it stop. Her mood instantly improved however when Ritsuko Akagi emerged from the doorway, holding a suitcase.

“Senpai!” cried Maya, racing forward. “I...I just...um...how are you?”  
“I’m just fine.” replied Ritsuko, waving a hand at Maya. “Now, the Commander’s telegram was...vague...regarding what happened.” she explained. “I’m going to need you to give me a full report.”

“Of course! I made one in advance!” Maya chirped, moving towards her desk, a cluttered mess of files and papers. “Just...gimme one second…”

Ritsuko sighed, and moved towards her own, slightly cleaner desk. She put her own suitcase on the table and unclicked it. She didn’t want to admit it to Maya, or anyone for that matter, but she was feeling rather irate. All Gendo had sent her was a single telegram with a tiny amount of information on it, then expected her to come up with a solution over the next few days. She simply thought that he would have a bit of _damned common courtesy_ towards his mistress. _But do you really believe him capable of that? When has he ever? When have you ever? When has-_

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a collection of pages in her face. She turned slightly, and saw Maya Ibuki at her side. She jumped back suddenly.

“Ohmygoodness, I’msosorry, youwereclearlythinkingandI-”

“Lieutenant, it’s fine. _Really._ ” she added, looking at her assistant’s worried expression. “Thank you for that.”

“Um, of course, Senpai!” Maya said, before moving back to her desk. There was a silence for a few minutes as Ritsuko read through the report and Maya got to work on realigning the alarm systems. As she finished this, Ritsuko turned around and spoke to her.

“So, you worked side-by-side with the Commander. That must have been something, hmm?” Ritsuko asked, moving her office chair over. Maya took a deep breath.

“Yes! I mean, um, well, it definitely wasn’t what I was expecting to do...” Maya trailed off, looking for the right words. “He seemed...very concentrated on stopping the Cadets. I’d never seen him so determined. Guess that shows what he thought of the British.”

Ritsuko nodded, and processed this. She thought back to the conversation they had had with Field Marshal Hadleigh a few days ago. While he seemed perfectly friendly to her, Maya seemed...on edge. That had to be one of the reasons Gendo chose to work with her. She was going to ask her assistant more, but was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing in another room. Both women watched as Lieutenant Aoba walked out of the other room.

“It’s her, I’m telling you! Give me a minute!”

“That is just not true!” yelled Lieutenant Hyuga.

Ritsuko turned to look at Maya as Aoba went into another room to take the call on his phone. “Y’know...Lieutenant...the Magi can listen in to any conversations had on phones in Tokyo-3.” she said with a smirk.

“Oh...that’s interesting...” said Maya, wondering what the doctor was talking about. A few seconds later, her eyes widened as she pointed to the door.

“Yes, that’s right. Be nice to see if that rumour’s true or not, hmm?” Ritsuko asked, which caused Maya to blush.

“Oh, yeah, I mean...if we did, that’d be really...not ethical...” she stammered, “...Then again, they’ve been arguing about it all week...be nice to have some peace and quiet...”

Ritsuko moved forward and typed on Maya’s computer. Then, a screen appeared with a button on it, labelled ‘Listen’.

“N-No! We can’t do it!” cried Maya suddenly. Ritsuko’s eyes widened in surprise. “I-I’m sorry, I just...I can’t. God, you must think I’m such a dork...”

“It’s fine, really.” implored Ritsuko. “You’re too nice for NERV, Maya.”

“Thanks...so are you, Senpaii.”

Ritsuko sighed. She couldn’t believe that for a second. Still, it was nice to hear it from her. “You can call me Ritsuko, Maya.”

“Oh...thank you Se- Ritsuko.”

Maya smiled, and closed the tab.

***

“Good news, guys!” said Misato over the sound of the toaster. Shinji looked up. 

“Your synch tests’ been delayed today until later in the afternoon because of the...situation.”

“And by ‘situation’, you mean the carnival going up in flames?” asked Shinji as he sat down at the table. “Literally?”

“Of course. They want me down there on cleanup.” Misato explained. From Asuka’s room, an alarm rang out.

“Don’t worry Asuka, it’s been delayed!” Shinji yelled, “You can go back to sleep!”

A mumbled “...yaay..” came from the door as Misato picked her bag up and moved towards the door. Before she did, however, she came over to Shinji and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Shinji, listen. I’m gonna make up for this week tomorrow, I promise.” declared Misato. “I mean it. We’ll go out and get some food, and...I’ll do the dishes. Really.” she added, looking at his surprised expression. Shinji nodded in return.

“Thanks, Misato.”

“Oh, and one more thing.” Misato sighed, and pulled out her phone. “Hadleigh sent me this...he wanted you to see it.” Shinji raised an eyebrow, and looked at the message:

**“Salutations, Mr Ikari:**

**Hello, and I wanted to say how sorry I am for**

**Everything that has happened over this week.**

**Seeing my own Cadets use such**

**Inappropriate techniques in their**

**Near-insane and cowardly attempts to**

**Undermine you, as a result of unfounded instructions.**

**Now I shall be making sure that**

**If something like this happens again,**

**There will be no chance of them staying here any longer.**

**1 more infringement, and I assure you they will be gone.**

**-Kanta.** ”

Shinji frowned at the awkward syntax, but silently wrote the message down underneath the table. Misato waved goodbye, and left the apartment.

As the door was slammed shut, Pen-Pen emerged from his fridge. He looked up at the Third Child and squawked at him.

“Harmless, that’s you.” said Shinji, smiling. “At least you don’t have to worry about British insurgents, huh?”

Pen-Pen nodded, and promptly returned to his box. Shinji sighed and, looking around to make sure nobody saw him, took out his notepad. He flicked through it, making sure he hadn’t missed anything. Yes, it was all there. The Angels yet to come, The MPEs, what he remembered of Impact, what he knew about his friends, his notes on Kaworu and, on the final page, what he remembered of his mother. He had drawn a sketch of what he remembered of her face, her general head shape and her brown hair which went down past her ears. That wasn’t a lot, Shinji admitted, and to be honest his mind was elsewhere. He stared at the door to Asuka’s room. _You did it. You repaired your relationship with Asuka! With months to spare! You reversed what those stinking Cadets did!_ A question now plagued Shinji:

“Now what?” he said out loud.

Gabriel was still out there. Shinji had seen the Angel emerge from the earth and disappear to who knows where. Not only that, but he had doubts that the Cadets were going to leave him alone anytime soon. Archie couldn’t even be arrested for trying to kill Shinji, as he and the others had diplomatic immunity, or so he’d been told. Not only that, but he had been cut off from Kensuke and, more pressingly, Toji. He’d need to figure out a way to talk to him again. But how?

Just then, Asuka burst into the room, her phone in hand.

“Hungry.” she said simply, grabbing a bowl.

“Morning, Asuka.” Shinji replied, genuinely smiling. “Milk’s over here.”

“Thanks.” she mumbled, sitting at the table. “Holy cow, I have a _lot_ of messages. Like, a lot a lot.” For a few seconds, Asuka stared at her phone, her breakfast untouched.

“I would have guessed. I mean, you were at the carnival.” explained Shinji, “Of course your friends want to know what happened, and-.”

“It’s not about that.” said Asuka suddenly, before thrusting the phone into Shinji’s face. Moving back slightly, he made out a conversation between Chihiro and Yutsuko, two of the girls in Shinji’s class. At least, he thought it was a conversation. On closer inspection, it appeared to be an argument. A heated argument. At once, Shinji’s paranoia spun his brain into motion. _Could it be the Cadets?_

“Huh...how did it start?” asked Shinji, gazing at the texted insults.  
“That’s the thing! I don’t know!” yelled Asuka, snatching back the phone. “Those two are close. _Real close._ They never argue. If something set them off, it was something big.”

Shinji considered this. Could the Cadets pull something like that off? _Of course they could. They had Kanta’s help, even if he had no clue what they wanted._ Shinji tried to push his paranoia out. Unfortunately, that allowed his ego in.

_We’ve beaten the Cadets once, haven’t we? What’s stopping us from doing it again? If anything, they’ll be easier to beat. They were assuming their last plan to be a success. We ought to strike while the iron’s hot, and-_

The multiple trains of thought running through Shinji’s mind came screeching to a halt, however, as a ringing noise came from the boy’s room. It was his phone. _Like this could get any weirder._ As Shinji moved towards his room to get his phone, he was surprised to see Asuka following him.

“Shinji...are you...look, you were right near that blast, and you’ve fought off Archie, I just...are you ok?”

Shinji paused and looked at Asuka, making eye contact for a few seconds.

“I’m fine, Asuka. Never better. I swear.” he replied, smiling again, before picking up the phone.

“Umm, hello?” Shinji said in a small voice.

Asuka watched Shinji take the phone call, which happened to be with Toji. Then, she joined in for a bit. She was taken aback when Shinji tried to push her back, which only made her push more. It was all going great until:

“Why don’t I just head over to’ your place?” Toji’s garbled voice said.

“ _No!_ ” said Asuka very suddenly.

“Umm...why?” asked Toji.

“I mean...um, uh...we’ll call you back, okay?!” Asuka said quickly, before snatching the phone from Shinji and ending the call. He stared at the redhead for a moment.

“Asuka...” he began, before his phone was quickly thrust back into his hands.

“Look, I’m sorry. I just-” she paused. They were both kneeling on Shinji’s bed. “I didn’t want to deal with anyone else today. Yesterday was...a lot.”

“Do I count as someone else?” Shinji asked cautiously. Asuka smirked, and ran a hand through her hair.

“No, baka. You don’t count. I mean, you’re alright. You really helped me last night. Thanks.” she said, giving him a genuine smile before getting up to finish her breakfast.

“Anytime.” Shinji mumbled out of earshot. _Well, that confirms last night happened._ He looked at his phone. Toji was looking for answers. Surely, as his friend, he should have given them to him, right? And yet, memories of the last four days filled the boy’s mind. Toji’s indifference cranked up to maximum. He knew it wasn’t his friend’s fault, but part of him was still angry. It had hurt. And now, memories of Bardiel appeared. He couldn’t hold it against him. Not when so much was at stake. Shinji sighed, and texted Toji.

_-Sry bout that. Asukas in one of her moods thanks to ystrdy. Totally free on Sunday tho._

Almost immediately, Shinij got a reply:

_-What, wanna spend more time with your girlfriend than me, huh?_

Shinji paused. Where had that come from? Before he could do anything else, however, he received another text.

_-Seriously, I doubt you’ll even go to that event the Cadets are planning today at the power station. Loser._

Something was seriously up. Shinji knew Toji, and he had never sent more verbose texts in his life. No, he had always shortened words. Even Shinji didn’t type out the word ‘seriously’. So what was this? Shinji looked down at the texts. There was something...off about them. The font used was slightly tilted compared to regular messages, and every few seconds the words flashed. Come to think of it, the messages that Asuka showed him were doing the same thing. Shinji left his room, taking his phone with him, and went to the number that the texts were being sent from. It looked like Toji’s number, and as he moved to the living room he didn’t notice anything odd about it. But when he sat back down, he heard a crackle come from his phone. Shinji stared at the numbers.

“What are you...” he mouthed inaudibly. Then, much to his surprise, the phone number _changed_. For the tiniest millisecond, there was a second phone number. Shinji fished the notepad and pen out of his pocket and concentrated.

By the time Asuka had emerged from her bedroom, now in the yellow dress she had met Shinji in, her phone still in her hand, the boy had just finished transcribing the second number. _4227435._ It wasn’t a Japanese phone number, that was for sure. Asuka moved down to the plug socket by the TV. Shinji looked at the phone in her hand, then down at the number. He sighed, and started to dial the number. As soon as he had pressed the 5, his phone began to crackle again, even louder this time, causing Asuka to poke her head up.

“Umm...Shinji? What’s that you’re doin’?” she asked, as he put his finger on the green phone button. There was a silence, followed by a loud _snap,_ as Shinji’s phone was sent flying up in the air, surrounded by white lightning. _Very familiar white lightning...No…_

Asuka yelped, moving towards the Third Child. The phone flew up towards the ceiling, smacking one of the lights before returning to the ground. Now the light crackled with the same electricity the phone had done previously. The energy fizzed in the air for a moment, before quickly moving around the many electrical items in the house. The TV fizzed on, the screen covered in static, the microwave beeped, the lights flickered on and off, as a circle of white lightning surrounded the two pilots. Even its crackles sounded menacing. The circle began to close.

“What the heck is this?!” Asuka yelled over the noise, picking up her phone as Shinji pulled her out of the living room.

“We need to leave, now.” he declared, moving towards the door. The button to open the door flickered between green and red, but Shinji’s reflexes were fast enough to hit the green and get the door open.

“What?! How come?!” she asked, moving out the door.

“Don’t you see, Asuka?!” Shinji yelled, slamming the door shut, breathing a sigh of relief. The two watched as the lightning passed through the door and passed through the lights, heading down through the apartment block.

Shinji leant against the railing, looking out at the city.“It’s Gabriel. It’s the Angel.”

Asuka’s eyes widened. “What, it’s in the electricity?” she asked, looking down at her phone.

“Yep, and if I had to guess...” Shinji moved towards Asuka, and pointed at the device in her hand.

“It’s travelling through the phone lines. Through the text messages...Come on, we need to go.” Shinji said, starting down the stairs.

“Go?! Go where?!”

“I’ll explain on the way! Hurry!”

***

Toji’s phone beeped. There was a text from Shinji on it.

_-Sry bout that. Asukas in one of her moods thanks to ystrdy. Totally free on Sunday tho._

Toji smiled at this, and immediately replied:

_-Sounds gd c u then_

Toji looked up from his phone as he and Thomas came up to a pair of apartments.

“I was in that one. I don’t think anyone else lived here.” the green-haired boy explained, pointing to the door on the right.

“I didn’t even know this place was here.” Toji thought aloud, looking at the rusty railings. He now looked at the door on the left, which Thomas knocked thrice. There was a silence, then a clicking of locks. After that, the door slowly opened, and out peeked Rei Ayanami.

“Thomas, you’re back, bril-” she began, before noticing Toji standing next to him. “Oh...Suzuhara...I was not expecting you...”

“I invited him, Rei.” Thomas reassured her, moving closer. “His sister was close to the carnival, and he wanted to find out what happened.”

“Ah, I see. Very well.” Rei said bluntly, pushing open the door to allow both of them in.

Rei should have really been thinking about the events at the carnival. They pertained to the current issue of the Angels, and needed to be deciphered to secure the scenario. But her mind was still on her fight with Thomas. He had said an awful lot of things, and now she knew that this was what he actually thought. One thing stuck out to her, however.

“ _I say what I want. That’s what separates me from this subservient cityscape._ ”

It was entirely possible he was talking about what the Cadets were doing, but it felt more general than that. It was another piece of Thomas’ puzzle that confused her, but it made her eager to find out more.

Toji wasn’t expecting it to be so _dirty_ . He had always thought that girls were cleaner than boys, but this was...another level from him. The walls were a dark grey, the bed was a white mattress and single white blanket. Toji then noticed one of the bags Thomas was holding had a bunch of blankets in them. More worryingly, he also made out things like fruit and bread in there. Then, it clicked. It was Saturday, but _Rei was still wearing her school clothes._

Thomas put the bags on the counter and quickly started putting the food away. Once he was done, he handed both of them a pocky stick, which they both accepted. They sat in silence for a moment.

“Suzuhara.” said Rei suddenly.

“Oh, uh, yeah, Ayanami?”

“You were not at the carnival when the event occurred, correct?” she asked.

“Uhh, yeah, that’s right.” he replied, trying not to look at her red eyes. _Now I feel weird...I’m the only one without red eyes in this room!_

“In that case, where were you?”

“Oh! Well...the Cadets said they were plannin’ something today...near the power station on the West Side of town.” Toji explained. At this, Thomas looked up.

“The power station? Then….they must be planning to do something involving the city’s power supply…” Thomas thought out loud, pacing to and fro.

“Ya think so? So...they were the ones behind the carnival?” Toji asked.

“Of course,” replied Rei instantly, “Shinji, Thomas, Major Katsuragi and I all worked to prevent the entire event being ignited by the emergence of an Angel, and the Cadets worked to stop us.”

Toji’s jaw dropped. “Wh- but… I’m friends with them, I-”

“You’ve only known them for four days.” Thomas pointed out. “All they’ve done was to achieve a goal of capturing the Angel. I’ve known them for years. I...expected something like this...”

There was a silence as Toji absorbed this. “Then...what about Shinji...”

Rei scowled at this. “Archie Richardson decided, for whatever reason, that Shinji should have been cast out from all cliques.”

“So that’s why he wasn’t hanging out with us...” he began, but was interrupted by Rei standing back up.

“There is one thing I do not understand.” Rei announced, causing Thomas to stop pacing. “Field Marshal Hadleigh claims that he had not given the order to enact this...insane plan. If that is the case, then who did?”

The three waited in silence for a moment. Then, Toji took out his phone. “Maybe...I could call Archie. See what he says about all of this.”

“I am not sure that is a good idea. Archie Richardson...attempted to kill Shinji yesterday.” Rei said bluntly. Toji almost dropped his phone.

“Seriously?! Wh...He tried to kill ‘im?!” Toji felt his body lurch back seven days, back to Leliel, seeing blood gush out of that great sphere. His stomach had curled in on itself, and he had felt like he was going to be sick. He felt just like that now.

“Call him.” demanded Thomas, causing the two others to look up. “As far as I can remember, Archie has never failed at a task. I wonder if this has affected him somehow...”

Toji nodded, and pressed the ‘call’ button.

_Beep, beep….Beep, beep…Beep, beep…Beep, beep….Beep, beep…Beep, beep…_

“Ugh...Hello?” came a sad, downtrodden voice.

“Um, hey Arch, it’s me, Toji.”

“Oh, right. Listen, I dunno... _English English English...._ I don’t know if I’m going to the thing today. Everyone else’ll be there, but ah...Nah. Just, nah.” Archie droned. Thomas was having trouble keeping quiet.

“Dear God...” he mumbled… “he’s never been like this...wow...”

Toji waved a hand at him, then turned to Thomas. “Hey, what happened? You sick?”

There was a silence. “Oh, what the hell, it won’t matter. Toji, can I be honest with you?”

“Yeah...sure thing, man.” he replied.

“Look....I got beaten by Shinji. _Shinji._ I mean, if you read his file, you’d have thought he would be a pushover too, but _no,_ he had to play the hero and save Asuka...and, it’s not gonna matter, he’ll lose in the end, but _wow._ I lost to him.”

“You...keep sayin’ it’s not gonna matter...” Toji tried.

“Yeah, and it isn’t. I’ve seen it already. Gabriel is spreading throughout Tokyo-3’s wires as we speak. It’s rather dastardly for an Angel, I doubt it’ll be long before...well...” The two red-eyed teens leaned in closer. The usual smugness in Archie’s voice had returned.

“Lemme guess, the power station’s something to do with it?” Toji asked.

“Of course. I wanted to be there, but...well, I don’t exactly feel like it. I think I’ll let Gabriel run rampant for a day, then come down and catch him tomorrow.”

Toji scowled. “So, my conversation with Kensuke earlier...”

“Oh, yes, that probably wasn’t actually him. Amazing, it’s managed to copy human voices...most impressive indeed.” Thomas could almost see Archie smirking. However, he was surprised to see Toji with a smile on his face, too.

“Hey, Arch, can _I_ be honest with _you_?” Toji asked. At once, Thomas and Rei looked at each other.

“Um...yeah, okay...” said Archie, slightly quieter.

Toji smiled at Thomas and Rei. “You’re on speaker. Say hi, guys!”

“Hey, ‘Arch’. Kanta really let you have it, huh?” asked Thomas, a wry smile on his face.

“Wha-?! Greenie! You _English!_ ”

“What was that word?” asked Rei quietly.

“You really don’t want to know.” replied Thomas.

“Ok, oooookaayy….” began Archie, as Toji’s phone started to crackle, “I _might_ be able to deal with losing to Shinji. But not to a _weirdo_ like you! _LET’S SEE HOW YOU LIKE THIS!_ ”

Instinctively, Thomas pushed the phone out of Toji’s hand and moved him and Rei away from it. As he did so, the phone burst into a flash of white sparks, before falling onto the floor, still crackling with white lightning.

“My phone!” yelled Toji, watching the device fizzle on the floor, “That bastard!”

“Now you’ve done it!” exclaimed Thomas, turning to Toji as he grabbed some of the food with his scratched hand. “We’d better hurry down to the power station before those Cadets do something incredibly stupid…”

***

“Hey! Let’s all go and vault the fence!”

It was lunchtime, and several members of class 2-A and all of the Cadets (bar 2) were relaxed on a grassy hill, at the top of which was a mass of cables and conductors, surrounded by a large metal fence. This fence had a label on it: “TOKYO-3 POWER STATION: NO TRESPASSING: HIGH VOLTAGE.” standing right next to it was Atticus, a smirk on his face, as if he hadn’t been locked in a room yesterday. Nearby him was Hikari and a few of her friends, who were talking to a few more Cadets.

“Umm...I dunno if that’s a good idea...” began Hikari, looking nervously at the equipment behind the fence.

“What’s the matter, Hikari?” asked Nellie, “You scared?”

Of course she was scared. What kind of question was that? She was being asked to climb into a dangerous power station for no reason. Not only that, but Toji wasn’t anywhere to be seen, and she had wanted to talk to him about Shinji. She had seen him sitting on his own for the past few days, and didn’t see him at all during Friday lunchtime. _He’d probably be over the fence by now,_ she thought.

“So? You coming, or are you just a big chicken?” Atticus asked. Hikari could feel multiple pairs of eyes on her. She felt herself fall onto her knees.

“It’s just...well...I...uh...”

“It’s because the last place you guys were _blew up!_ ” came a voice. The group turned around to see Toji Suzuhara, followed by Rei and Thomas.

“Thomas! What happened?! Your face! Your arms!” came several voices from the crowd as the three marched forward. Atticus’ smirk faded.

“Greenie. Toji, and...Bluie...” he began, moving forward. “What are you doing here? Hah...”

Thomas looked at Toji, and pointed at Hikari. “Go. I think she needs you.” he said with a smile. He nodded in return, and moved towards her, shoving Atticus out of the way.

“Hey Hikari. How’re ya holdin’ up?”

She looked up, and saw Toji kneeling beside her. She struggled to hold back tears.

“Oh...I just...you know how I am with peer pressure...”

“Yeah, I know.” he said with a smile. “Come on, we need to go.”

He held out his hand. Hikari took it and got to her feet again, before instantly moving her hand back again. They moved back towards Thomas and Rei, who both gave a small smile in return.

“Hikari, please know that you have done something very impressive.” Rei said flatly. “Not even I could resist the thrall of those Cadets as long as you.”

“Oh, um..thanks Rei. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but that’s appreciated.” replied Hikari, nodding frantically. She turned to Toji. “Ok, um, what’s...what’s going on?”

“I’d like to know that too.” said Atticus loudly. “We know you left the Embassy, Greenie. And we know you went to Ayanami’s apartment.” The crowd began to murmur to itself.

“...And how do you know that?” Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Come now, Greenie. We all know there’s only one place Rei could ever be during the weekends.” explained the voice of Archie Richardson, coming up the hill from behind.

“Ah, Arch!” exclaimed Atticus. “I thought you were...ah, too upset to show up.”

“Circumstances have changed, you slimy little _English._ ” Archie spat. “You’ve got some nerve stealing my plan.”

“You stole it from me first!” yelled William, pushing himself to the front. “Why are we even doing this?! The Field Marshal’s gonna kill us if we-”

“No, William. The Field Marshal will be overjoyed to see a captured Angel. I am sure of it. Our mistake yesterday was making too much noise, putting too many people in harm’s way...and not dealing with that green freak probably.”

“How did I ever think these guys were cool?! They’re the freaks!” said Toji, a little too loudly.

Archie, Atticus and William immediately stopped bickering and turned to face Toji. Thomas turned to him too, scratching the cuts on his cheek.

“I appreciate the gesture, it was rather funny, but, again, perhaps not the smartest move right now.” he whispered, looking back at his fellow Cadets.

“Yeah, I kinda see that now, Igor.” grumbled Toji, as the Cadets began to bunch together.

“It has just occurred to me that my synch test is soon.” Rei pointed out.

“Um...may be stupid to ask, but can we take them?” Toji asked, scratching his hair.

“They’ve all had military training and are masters of evasion.” Thomas explained. “Add to that their powers and, ah, I think you’ve got your answer.”

“Well, if that’s the case...Run.” Toji said flatly. Thomas, Rei and Hikari swiftly obeyed.

“Oh no they don’t...” said Archie, as he began to race after them, followed by the rest of the Cadets.

***

“Well duh! That’s why they called it Gabriel!”

Asuka and Shinji were walking down the street, each with some lunch they had bought to try and calm down after the morning.

“What do you mean, Asuka?” Shinji asked as they stopped at a crossing.

“Well it’s the _messenger Angel,_ baka! Surely you know that!”

“Actually um, I’ve never um, uh...” he muttered.

“Shinji, I can’t hear what you’re saying.” said Asuka bluntly.

“I’ve...never...read the Bible...my Sensei said it was a waste of time...”

“You’ve never read the Bible? So you don’t know...oh... _oh..._ ”

“What?” Shinji asked as they crossed the road.

Asuka’s cheeks went ever-so-slightly pink. “So you don’t know...Shinji, the walls of Jericho...they _fell._ ”

Shinji stared for a moment. “I...oh... _oh..._ Asuka, I-”

“Nope, don’t do it! Not your fault! Your arse of a Sensei’s fault!” Asuka yelled.

“Ok...” Shinji mumbled, as he finished his lunch. “Who flirts with Bible quotes?”

“Oh...shush.” said Asuka, giving him a light elbow.

They came to the junction near the Geofront entrance; in fact they could see it at the end of the left-turn. To their right, however, they heard the sound of 21 pairs of feet rushing down pavement. From behind a corner came Thomas and Rei, followed by Toji and Hikari. Behind them, Archie, Atticus and William, and then the other fourteen Cadets in a great huddle behind them. For a moment, Shinji and Asuka just stared. Then, between the phones of the Cadets, white lightning passed to and fro.

“Asuka, we can’t let them through! We can’t let them send the Angel to the Geofront!” Shinji yelled, moving towards the crowd and pulling Asuka with him.

“Damn, you’re right!” she said, pushing people out of the way as the two sped towards the entrance. “How do we stop them getting through?”

“Don’t worry, I have an idea. Though...you might not like it.” he admitted, as the two arrived outside the entrance. Down the street, they could see the crowd moving quickly towards them.

“Okay...what do we do?” Asuka asked, as Shinji pulled his notepad out.

“Give me your phone.” Shinji demanded, holding out his hand. Asuka paused for a moment, before obliging. Shinji looked back over the crowd, and gazed at Asuka’s phone. He gazed at the notepad, and quickly pressed the numbers: _4227435_. As he did this, Asuka snuck a look at the notepad. From here, she saw a strange person with a wide grin. Instinctively, she put her hand to her eye, but was quickly interrupted in her thinking.

“Sorry in advance!” yelled Shinji, before throwing the phone over Toji, Rei and Thomas into the crowd of Cadets. There was a flash, and the group was knocked to the floor. The three faster Cadets screeched to a halt in shock.

***

“Woah!” exclaimed Maya. “Another spike of C-Particles! This time near the Western Geofront!” Ritsuko immediately moved over to see the screen, which had a marker for both this spike and the one which occurred earlier in Misato’s apartment.

“Can we switch to CCTV?” Ritsuko asked, moving closer.

“Oh! Um...of course! Hang on here...” Maya tapped away on her keyboard before a tab opened, showing several of the Cadets knocked out on the floor. In front of them was the blonde Cadet who had been the most awful, the one who had been caught and agreed to help, and a Cadet which Maya didn’t recognise. Then, in front of those three were the EVA pilots, plus Thomas, Toji and Hikari. The blonde seemed very angry.

***

“ _ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH!_ ”Archie screeched, taking even Atticus by surprise. “Brilliant...just brilliant...using Gabriel against us.”

Shinji smiled at the three left standing. “Toji! Pass me your phone!” At once, his friend tossed it over, Shinji catching it in his hands. Asuka glowered at Shinji, but said nothing. Even she had to admit that that was pretty cool.

“Okay, Archie.” Shinji wasn’t exactly used to having a lot of power over a situation, and wasn’t entirely sure what to do. “Why don’t you all head back to the Embassy, and we’ll call it a-”

Archie didn’t wait for him to finish his ultimatum. “YOU COWARDLY LITTLE-” However, this time Shinji was ready for him. _4227435_. As his other friends leaned back, Shinji lobbed Tojis phone straight into Archie’s chest, who had only moments to put up an A.T. field before another flash rocked the street.

***

“How is Shinji doing that?” asked Maya out loud. “He threw something, and then there’s a spike.”

“Good thing he could.” pointed out Ritsuko. “Otherwise Archie really would have let him have it. Shinji doesn’t have combat training, and he does.”

“Which entrance is that?”

The two women turned around to see Gendo Ikari standing in the doorway.

“Th-the West one, sir.” stammered Maya.

“I see.” he said, the lenses of his glasses illuminated in white. _Of course. This Angel, Gabriel, its very existence contradicts the Dead Sea Scrolls. As a result, it’s covered in C-Particles._ “Shinji is ordering his friends into the Geofront.”

“S-sir…” began Ritsuko, “How do you-”

“I know how to lip read, Dr Akagi.” The Commander explained ,before his expression changed completely. “Oh.”

“Sir?” tried Maya watching Archie rise to his feet and order the other Cadets, “What is it?”

***

The Cadets all slowly pushed themselves up off the floor, some of them still crackling with white lightning.

“Message from the Field Marshal. It’s entered the Geofront.” announced Archie, glaring at the tunnel’s entrance.

“What a pain...” Bailey the girl lamented, looking at her ruined clothes. “The Boss will pay for these, right?”

“No..nonononono….They’ll have orders to keep us out...” muttered Atticus, who was pacing to and fro.

“I don’t get it.” piped up Arnold. “Why can’t we activate the trap now?”

“Because, you nitwit, the trap only works if Gabriel is in a closed circuit, if he’s covered any and all avenues.” William explained. “And the Geofront’s got more avenues than-.”

“Hold it, Will. There are still cameras around.” pointed out Archie. “But it doesn’t matter. There’s one more way we can catch the Angel.”

“How?” asked Nellie.

Archie grinned manically.“Simple. Use an EVA core. We don’t even need it on a closed circuit for that.”

The Cadets watched as their unspoken leader started to giggle to himself.

“Ooh, and I know _just_ which core to use...”

Before he could explain anything else, there was a call from Kanta on Archie’s phone.

“ **Richardson, my plan has achieved its first goal. You and the others must enter the Geofront too. We must be the ones to stop the Angel, and not the EVA pilots, do you understand?** ”

“Clear as Crystal, sir.” replied Archie. “Hang on, did you say that-”

“ **Yes, I may have had a small role in directing Gabriel...** ”

***

Misato Katsuragi got out of her car and made her way towards the elevator. On her way she saw Lieutenant Hyuga. When she did, she took out her phone and showed him a cute picture of Pen-Pen she had taken that morning, ignoring the already-seen message from Kanta Hadleigh. She didn’t notice it crackling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! This part of the story is one of the earliest aspects I came up with, so I really do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! Oh, and Happy New Year for tomorrow too!

**Author's Note:**

> This will (if popular) grow into a long, long saga, so I do hope you enjoy. I've wanted to write an Eva Fic for quite some time now, and so I'm glad I've finally figured out a story which I want to write down! I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think!


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